Casey Rarrick scored the first five points of the game for the Lopes before a Taelor Ross (Vancouver, Wash.) jumper and Kaylee Best (Seattle, Wash.) three-pointer tied the game just over three minutes in. The Lopes and Redhawks would trade the lead once more before Seattle U gained the lead, 11-10, for the remainder of the half on a jumper by Renee Dillard-Brown (Seattle, Wash).
Ross added a layup and Jazmine Johnson (Lakewood, Calif.) hit a jumper at 13:31 as SU led, 15-13, before a nearly five minute span in which Crystal Allen (Fort Worth, Texas) added the only points of the game on a pair of free throws.
Allen gave the Redhawks their largest lead of the game to that point, 20-15, at 8:12 on a three-point play and Best would extend the lead to eight on a second three-point play 45 seconds later.
The Lopes’ Devyn Edwards hit a pair of free throws just under five minutes before halftime before Claire Metoyer (Desoto, Texas) drove in a layup to put the Redhawks back up by eight at 1:27. SU would hold on to a five point lead at half, 27-22, after Rarrick hit a three with 43 seconds left in the first half.
Seattle U would lead by as many as 10 just two and a half minutes into the second half, 34-24, on back-to-back layups by Best and Ross and again a minute later on a layup by Allen.
Over the next eight minutes, the Lopes would build a 13-4 run to trail by just one, 40-39, with 8:43 remaining but GCU would miss their chance to regain the lead and Dillard-Brown would put SU back up by three, 42-39, a minute later to hold off the attack.
Rarrick hit back-to-back three’s to cut the Redhawk lead to as little as two, 47-45, by 5:36 but SU would increase their lead back to eight, 53-45, with 4:43 remaining on a three-point play by Ross.
The Lopes trailing and forced to foul down the stretch, Seattle U would go 5-for-5 from the line over the final 61 seconds to lead by six, 59-53, with 24 seconds remaining before August Touchard cut the lead in half, 59-56, with a three eight seconds later.
Grand Canyon set Rarrick up with what would’ve been the game-tying three with under five seconds remaining, but a miss sealed the Redhawks’ 59-56 victory, their first road win of the season.
Ross recorded a double-double with 14 points and a career-high 14 rebounds. Dillard-Brown also recorded a career-high three assists in the win.
Seattle U capitalized on Grand Canyon turnovers, with 15 points coming off turnovers by the Lopes. Each team committed just nine turnovers as the Redhawks used the extra chances to their advantage.
The Redhawks continue the road trip at Utah Valley on Saturday, Feb. 7 at 3pm MT/2pm PT, looking to complete the weekend sweep.