Utah Tech could not recover from a tough first half as the Trailblazers were toppled by WAC-leading Grand Canyon, 78-43, on Saturday afternoon inside Global Credit Union Arena.  

How it happened 
The Trailblazers (5-13/1-4 WAC) owned a 7-2 lead five minutes into play thanks to a Chardonnay Hartley lay-up and free throw, along with two points apiece from Brie Crittendon and Ellie Taylor.
 
Meanwhile the Blazer defense held GCU to just 1-of-7 from the floor and forced three turnovers in the early going.
 
However the Lopes (19-2/6-0 WAC) shook off their slow start with consecutive 3-pointers from Anna Ostlie and Ale'Jah Douglas, which kickstarted a 13-5 run as GCU ended the first quarter up three at 15-12.
 
GCU's momentum remained on full throttle to begin the second period as the Lopes scored 17-straight points to open up a commanding 32-12 lead with 5:37 to play until halftime.
 
Utah Tech, which had a Crittendon 3-pointer waived off following an official reviewed shot clock violation earlier in the frame, finally ended the drought thanks to a Taylor perimeter jumper.
 
However Taylor's shot did not slow the Lopes down as GCU outscored the Blazers 29-5 in the stanza and enjoyed a 44-17 advantage at the intermission. 
 
GCU maintained its sizeable lead throughout the second half to cruise to its 17-straight victory overall.
 
Numbers to know
Taylor led all scorers with 19 points on 7-of-17 shooting with a pair of 3-pointers and three rebounds.
 
Aaliyah Ibarra added 10 points off the bench with two 3-pointers of her own, while Emily Isaacson tallied eight points and grabbed a team-high six rebounds.  
 
Utah Tech was held to 15-of-47 from the floor (.319), which included a 6-of-16 (.375) clip from the perimeter. The Trailblazers were also hampered by 27 turnovers, which led to 31 GCU points. 
 
Ostlie finished with 18 points, all from the perimeter (6-of-10 3FG), including 5-of-6 from beyond the arc to pace the Lopes' strong first half.
 
GCU connected on 46.7 percent (28-of-60) of its shots on the day with 11 made 3-pointers (11-of-27; .407) and outrebounded Utah Tech by a 32-29 count.

Up Next
Utah Tech now heads into a stretch that will see the Trailblazers play four of their next five games at home, starting with a return game vs. Tarleton State next Thursday night inside the Burns Arena.