PHOENIX — The Chicago State women's basketball team (4-20, 3-12 WAC) fell to Grand Canyon, 73-55, Thursday evening at the GCU Arena.
Three Cougars scored in double figures, including Quentarra Mitchell, with 17 points, Allysah Boothe, with 14, and Janiah Newell, who scored 13. Aaliyah Collins logged seven points with three assists. On the evening, Grand Canyon forced 20 turnovers, taking down the Cougars for the second time this season.
With two defensive-minded teams competing, the game started as a defensive grind, with the teams combining for just four points over the first 3:57.
Then came a flurry of buckets, a stretch in which Boothe nailed her first two treys, coming in a one-minute stretch. Moments later, a pair of jumpers, one from GCU's Amara Graham and one from Newell, tied the game at 10-10 with 4:09 left in the first. Newell went on to score CSU's final six points of the frame, as the Cougars led, 14-13, through one.
In the second, the Antelopes opened on an 8-0 run, keyed by a havoc-wreaking defense. Mitchell then drained a layup to stop the spurt, which lasted just over three minutes. A minute later, Mitchell struck again, knocking down a three-pointer at the 5:27 mark off a dime from Collins, bringing the Cougars to within one.After a Tianna Brown layup for GCU, Collins then stroked in a three to tie the game at 23-23. GCU then closed the half with an 8-4 spurt to enter halftime on top, 31-27.
In the third, Graham and Collins traded buckets to start, with Collins scoring CSU's first four points of the frame. Two minutes in, the Cougars were within four points at 35-31. Then, the Antelopes reeled off a 6-0 spurt, again keyed by a stour turnover-forcing defense, to take a 10-point lead.
Boothe nailed two free throws to stop the run momentarily, but the Antelopes then unleashed an 11-2 run to close the quarter on top, 52-35, with a Jay McChristine layup at the buzzer sealing the frame.
In the fourth, GCU never allowed the Cougars to pull closer than 16 points, cruising to a 73-55 win behind its tenacious defense.
The Cougars next will battle with New Mexico State Saturday in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Chicago State previously downed the Aggies, 67-64, on January 25 in Chicago, storming back from a 16-point deficit.
About Chicago State
Chicago State University Athletics is comprised of 15 intercollegiate teams involving over 150 student-athletes that compete in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and volleyball. CSU held memberships in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and NCAA Division II before transitioning to NCAA Division I in 1994. Melvin Bland was the first CSU student-athlete to gain NAIA All-American status in 1974 as a wrestler. Fred Evans became the first black swimmer ever to win a national championship in 1975. In 1991, the Chicago State women's tennis team became the first all-black college team to amass an unbeaten season at the NCAA level. CSU's women's basketball team earned a spot in the 2011 Women's Basketball Invitational and CSU's men's basketball team won the 2013 Great West Conference Tournament title, also making an appearance in the CollegeInside.com Postseason Tournament (CIT). The Men's Outdoor Track & Field 4x100-Meter Relay team were 2019 Honorable Mention All-Americans and WAC Champions. Their feat marked the first time the Chicago State's men's track & field program was represented at the national meet. Chicago State volleyball recorded a historic season in 2021, with Yanlis Feliz becoming CSU's first volleyball All-American and head coach Tony Trifonov earning selection as WAC Coach of the Year.
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