PHOENIX, Ariz. - The UC Santa Barbara Women's Basketball team (4-2) travels to Grand Canyon University this week for the Women's Thanksgiving Classic where they will face the hosting Lopes on Friday, Nov. 29 and the Seattle University Redhawks on Saturday, Nov. 30.

LAST TIME OUT
The Gauchos ended their homestand 3-1 with an overtime victory on Sunday over San Diego. Santa Barbara battled for an early lead to hold off the Toreros but ultimately ended the fourth quarter with an even score. The Gauchos out scored the Toreros 14-6 in overtime for their fourth win of the season. Skylar Burke led the Gaucho offense with a career-high 21 points and also recorded two blocks and two steals. 

SCOUTING THE LOPES
The Lopes return home to host the Thanksgiving Classic after going 1-2 on the road. They found a win over Arizona State last week bringing their overall record to 2-2. 

The Grand Canyon offense is not shy on the three-point line coming in at 41th nationally for their average of 8.8 made three-pointers per game. Defensively, the Lopes show strength in steals averaging 10.3 per contest. They also are one of the best at defending against three-point shots as they come in as the 12th ranked team in the NCAA. 

Three Lopes are averaging double-digits each game in their last four contests with Alyssa Durazo-Frescas (13.3), Tiarra Brown (11.5), and Trinity San Antonio (11.0) leading the way for the offense. Durazo-Frescas also leads the WAC and ranks 11th in the NCAA in three-pointers averaging 3.5 per game. The defensive power is brought up by San Antonio who averages 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game. 

SCOUTING THE REDHAWKS
Seattle University earned their first win of the season over Evergreen State on Saturday with a dominant 88-43 victory after four consecutive losses to start the season. 

When it comes to scoring, the Redhawks are the most efficient in the WAC with a field goal percentage of 42.2. They also average over 60 points per game. Defensively, Seattle recorded nine or more steals in three of their five contests so far this season. 

The Redhawks' points come largely from new faces this season. Freshman Candy Edokpaigbe has started all five contests for the Redhawks averaging 11.4 points per game. Redshirt sophomore Olivia Moore follows closely behind with 9.4. The Redhawks' strength on three-point line comes from senior Julianna Walker who boasts a 60.0 three-point field goal percentage. Defensively, Christeina Bryan leads with nine steals and three blocks in five games. She also averages six rebounds per game, the most of any Redhawk. 

The Redhawks will face their first opponent in the GCU Women's Thanksgiving Classic, Texas A&M - Commerce, on Friday.

FOLLOW ALONG
The Gauchos and the Lopes will tip off on Friday, Nov. 29 at 1:30 p.m. Pacific time in the Global Credit Union Arena at GCU and will return the next day at 11 a.m. Pacific time against the Redhawks. The Friday contest against GCU will be streamed on ESPN+ and the Saturday matchup with Seattle University will be available to stream on gculopes.com/watch/. Fans will have to purchase a $5 subscription to watch the Gauchos and Redhawks.