THE GAMES 

Opponent: Grand Canyon Lopes 

Dates: Monday, Feb. 1 and Tuesday, Feb. 2. Both games tip off at 7 p.m. CST. 

Location: GCU Arena – Phoenix, Arizona 

TELEVISION: GCU TV 

GCULopes.com/watch 

RADIO: Tarleton Sports Network KXTR 100.7 FM 

Kyle Crews, Play-by-Play 

AT A GLANCE 

Tarleton looks to check off another milestone in its first-ever season of Division I basketball when it takes on the Lopes in a recently rescheduled matchup. 

The Texans are fresh off a 79-63 victory over UTRGV on Wednesday that marked their first true Division I and road victories of the season, though the game counted as a nonconference affair despite the teams' shared Western Athletic Conference affiliations. Thus, a win over Grand Canyon in either game gives Tarleton (4-10 0-4 WAC) its first WAC victory in program history. 

The game dates have been changed three times due to WAC and NCAA COVID-19 protocol. The series was originally set to constitute as the teams' first conference series of the season on Jan. 8-9 but was postponed due to positive COVID-19 cases within the Texan program. The WAC then announced the games would be played on Feb. 9-10 in Phoenix. Head coaches Misty Wilson and Molly Miller agreed to move the game dates to Monday and Tuesday to guarantee the Lopes a conference series. GCU (9-3, 1-1 WAC) has played just one conference series and three games total over the last month. 

The games pit a pair of highly successful former Division II coaches against one another in Wilson and Molly Miller. The duo combined for 293 victories at the Division II level while coaching for their respective alma matters. Both are in their first season as Division I coaches. 

Miller owns the best active win percentage (.904) of any Division I, II or III men's or women's head coach with at least five years of experience and led Drury University to a combined 67-1 mark from 2018-2020. Wilson guided Tarleton to three NCAA Tournament appearances in six seasons and posted an overall record of 113-64. 

GAME COVERAGE 

A video broadcast for both games can be accessed free of charge on GCU TV at GCULopes.com/watch. A live stream for each game will also be provided on the WAC Digital Network at WACDigitalNetowrk.com. Links for live stats and the video stream can be accessed on the women's basketball schedule page at TarletonSports.com. Kyle Crews will have the call for both games on the new home of Tarleton women's basketball – KXTR 100.7 FM in Stephenville – and worldwide at TarletonSports.com/ListenLive. The pregame show begins 30 minutes before tipoff. 

FAN POLICY FOR GCU 

Attendance is limited to a reduced capacity of on-campus students due to COVID-19 health and safety guidelines set by the Arizona Department of Health Services. Tickets are not available for purchase. 

INSIDE THE SERIES: GRAND CANYON 

The two programs have not previously met. The Lopes made the move to Division I basketball in 2013 while Tarleton is in the first of four years of its NCAA-mandated transition process. 

LAST TIME OUT: UTRGV 

Tarleton's win over the Vaqueros halted a seven-game losing streak and saw the team make necessary strides at both ends of the court.  

Tarleton shot a season-high 52.7 percent from the field in the win on the strength of 20 assists and double-digit scoring efforts from Emily Cunningham (20 points), Marissa Escamilla (17 points) and Iyana Dorsey (16 points). The collective offensive efficiency was a welcome sign, as the Texans were held under 30 percent shooting in three of their prior four games. 

Cunningham's 70 percent (7-10) shooting clip was a single-game high for any Texan as were Dorsey's nine assists. Escamilla, who finished with 17 points and a game-high nine rebounds, is averaging 13 points and 8.2 rebounds per game over the last five contests. 

The Texans built upon defensive momentum established during the team's 59-47 defeat at Seattle U on January 23. The Texans have allowed 61 points per game in their last two affairs. Tarleton was surrendering 76.8 points per game in its previous nine contests against Division I competition. The Texans turned 14 UTRGV turnovers into 22 points in the win. 

UP NEXT FOR TARLETON 

The Texans head to the Windy City to face Chicago State on Feb. 13-14. Tipoff for both games is set for 1 p.m. inside the Jones Convocation Center. 

The WAC series was previously scheduled for Feb. 12-13 but pushed back a day to allow Tarleton an extra day of travel time. The games will mark the first meeting between Tarleton and Chicago State in any sport. WAC officials announced in January that Chicago State is voluntarily leaving the conference in 2022. 

NET RANKINGS 

Through Jan. 30, Tarleton has faced off with four teams ranked inside the top-130 of the NCAA Women's Basketball NET Rankings: Florida (No. 58), California Baptist (No. 88), Eastern Michigan (No. 109) and North Texas (No. 127).  

Grand Canyon is the WAC's second-highest rated team at No. 157 ahead of Monday's matchup. Utah Valley (No. 184) and New Mexico State (No. 205) rank third and fourth among the conference's nine teams. Tarleton moved to No. 303 out of a possible 343 teams following Wednesday's win over the Vaqueros.  

The NCAA released its first set of rankings on Jan. 4. NET Rankings are used by the NCAA Tournament selection committee to help set the 64-team field. The NET utilizes two factors in ranking teams: Team Value Index (factors in results, quality of opponent and location) and the team's net efficiency (efficiency metrics scaled for quality of opponent and location). The rankings do not include games played against non-Division I opponents. 

TEXANS AMONG WAC STATISTICAL LEADERS 

Tarleton continues to turn the ball over the fewest times per game (14.8) of any team in the conference. Collectively, the Texans also rank fourth in blocks per game (3.6) and free throw percentage (69.8). 

Dorsey has proven to be one of the conference's top scorers. The 5-6 freshman guard is third in points scored (184) and free throw percentage (83.6) and ranks seventh in points per game (13.6). From Saginaw, Texas, Dorsey also sits inside the top-10 in steals per game (6th, 2.7) and assists per game (10th, 2.0). 

Escamilla moved to fourth in rebounds per game (6.8) following her performance against the Vaqueros and is 13th in scoring (11.6 ppg). Fellow forward Lucy Benson is not far behind, as the senior's 6.0 rebounds per game average is eighth-best in the WAC. Cunningham ranks sixth in both field goal percentage (48.8) and 3-point field goal percentage (40.9). 

CUTTING DOWN ON THE GIVEAWAYS 

Through its first four contests, Tarleton turned the ball over 17.5 times per game, including a season-high 21 giveaways against North Texas to begin the season. Since then, the Texans have reduced their turnovers-per-game average to 13.4 and committed 64 total turnovers.  

The squad, which features seven new faces, recorded 70 turnovers in its first four games. Texans' eight turnovers against Oral Roberts were a single-game low for the 2020-21 season. 

TARLETON ON THE ROAD 

The Texans' 1-6 mark in road games and 1- 8 overall record in games played away from Wisdom Gym is uncharacteristic for the program. Tarleton holds a combined 50-45 record in road and neutral site games since Wilson's first season as head coach in 2014-2015.  

The Texans were 10-2 in away games last year in their final season as a member of the Lone Star Conference and at the Division II level. The team won nine straight contests away from home to close the campaign. 

This year's squad is currently slated to play nearly 70 percent of its games away from Wisdom Gym. The Texans games against UTRGV on March 5-6 are its lone remaining confirmed home contests. If no additional games are added to Tarleton's schedule, the team will play nine consecutive ballgames away from Wisdom Gym prior to hosting the Vaqueros.  

The postponement of the Utah Valley series and Trailblazers' decision to cancel the remainder of their women's basketball season left Tarleton with just seven total home games on its schedule. 

DORSEY MAKING FRESHMAN OFFENSIVE HISTORY 

The freshman offensive phenom scored a career-high 19 points in Tarleton's 86-54 loss at Seattle U and was an offensive bright spot in an otherwise tough afternoon colectively from the field Her 18 points scored at North Texas were the most by a Texan in a season-opener since 2014 and the most by a freshman under coach Misty Wilson in a season-opening game. Dorsey's scoring figure was also a game high.  

She has been in double-digit scoring by halftime in five games and is the only player to have tallied 15-or-more points on seven occasions. Dorsey has scored in double figures in 12 of 14 games for Tarleton and leads the Texans in scoring (13.6 ppg). The Saginaw native averaged 15 points per game against an undefeated California Baptist squad in Tarleton's WAC debut on Jan. 15- 16.  

The freshman guard also leads the team in free throws made (56) and is shooting at an 84.0 percent clip from the charity stripe, which is tops in the WAC. She hit 10-12 free throws against North Texas and 9-10 vs. California Baptist on Jan. 15. If the season were to end today, Dorsey would have the ninth-highest single-season free throw percentage in program history.  

Dorsey, who holds Birdville High School records in made 3-point shots in a single season (77) and a single game (6) leads the team in made 3-point field goals with 29. Four of her 3-pointers came in a single quarter. Dorsey went 4-7 from beyond the arc in the second quarter of the team's win over Bacone. Dorsey was one of three players to hit four 3-point against Champion Christian to help the team reset the program record for most made 3-point field goals in a game. 

ESCAMILLA ATOP THE TEXAN LEADERBOARD 

The junior leads the team in rebounding (6.8 rpg) and is second in scoring (11.6 ppg) and was named the athletic department's Female Student Athlete of the Month on Jan. 29. She has tallied double-digit scoring figures in four of Tarleton's five games played against WAC opponents. 

The 5-9 forward's 16-point effort vs. California Baptist on Jan. 15 was the 20th game in which she scored at least 20 points. Escamilla then gave the Texans 13 points off the bench one day later to record her 21st double-digit scoring game.  

Escamilla has led the Texans in scoring on two occasions with a 17-point game vs. Champion Christian on Dec. 12 and 13-point output at Florida two days later. Escamilla recorded a season-high 12 rebounds in the team's loss against California Baptist on Jan. 15. 

The forward, who has made two starts this season, has recorded at least five rebounds in 7-of-11 games played. She leads Tarleton's active players in career 10-point games (23), 10-rebound games (5) and double-doubles (5).  

The Burnet, Texas native has recorded five rebounds in all but one of the games she has appeared in and is building off of a strong sophomore campaign. Last season, Escamilla had the most offensive rebounds of any player (67) and was tops on the team in field goal percentage (.542). 

CUNNINGHAM'S CONSISTENCY 

Cunningham, 6-0, scored in double figures and shot above 50 percent in the first five games she played in and has scored at least 10 points on seven separate occasions. A native of Italy, Texas, Cunningham returned from a two-game injury absence with an 11-point effort against Florida on Dec. 14. Nine of her points came in the first half - all of which came on made 3-point shots.  

The 6-0 forward put forth her best offensive performance at UTRGV on Jan. 27. She scored a career and game-high 20 points against the Vaqueros on 7-10 shooting to help Tarleton snap a seven-game losing streak and earn its first true Division I win. Cunningham was also 3-5 from long range.  

Against Howard Payne on Nov. 28, she connected on 6-9 shots from the field and was 4-6 from 3-point land. Cunningham ranks third all-time in Hill College program history in 3-point shots made. Cunningham gave Tarleton 13 points on 4-7 shooting, including a 3-4 clip from long range, in the team's 89-66 loss vs. California Baptist on Jan. 16. 

BENSON SETTING CAREER-HIGHS 

Benson's 15 points scored against the Mean Green were the most in a single game by the senior since she recorded 15 points in an 83-75 win over Pittsburg State on Nov. 27, 2019. Benson has tied her single-game high in rebounds (9) three times this season.  

She's averaging career-highs in points (7.4) and rebounds per game (6.0). Benson ranks seventh in the WAC in rebounds per game and 13th in steals per game (1.4).