Completed Event: Women's Basketball at San José State on December 28, 2025 , Win , 79, to, 59
W Basketball
at San José State
W 79-59
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Wednesday, November 26
Frisco, Texas
3 p.m. (MST)
Grand Canyon
1-6,0-0Mountain West
64
vs
65
UTSA
3-3,0-0American
1
2
3
4
F
UTSA
16
12
12
25
65
Grand Canyon
13
10
15
26
64
Photo by: Mario Terrana
Final shot falls short vs. UTSA in Frisco
11/26/2025 6:43:00 PM | Women's Basketball
GCU's LaMendola scores career-high 21 points
FRISCO, Texas – Grand Canyon women's basketball fell 65-64 to UTSA in its final game of the Hoopfest Women's Basketball Challenge on Wednesday at Comerica Center.
Shooting a combined 31% from the floor in the first half, the Lopes recorded a 43% clip in the third quarter, seeing contributions from LaMendola (five points), Jeffries (four points) and sophomore Chloe Mann (four points). The defense held UTSA to 35% shooting, its lowest percentage of Wednesday's four quarters and nearly went into the fourth quarter with a lead before a last second 3-pointer gave the Roadrunners a 40-38 advantage.
The first three quarters saw 68 combined points, whereas the fourth quarter had each team knocking down shot after shot for 51 points and 15 made field goals.
GCU kept its stride from the third to fourth quarter, scoring 14 of the quarter's first 19 points. Lopes graduate guard Ale'jah Douglas stepped up with eight fourth-quarter points, followed by another eight-point quarter from LaMendola.
Leading 62-57 with less than a minute to play, the Roadrunners sank a 3 to pull within two points. After a pair of Douglas free throws, UTSA again made a 3, cutting the GCU lead to 64-63 with 33 seconds to spare.
The Lopes turned it over on the ensuing possession, and with seven seconds remaining, UTSA took its first lead since the end of the third quarter. The Roadrunners' Cheyenne Rowe made her seventh and eighth free throws, leaving GCU one last attempt at the basket with time winding down.
Off the inbound, Mann took the ball upcourt and went toward the baseline before finding Jeffries in the paint. Jeffries' shot at the buzzer missed just short.
UTSA went 16 of 17 from the free throw line, while GCU had a season-low 13 turnovers.
GCU heads back on the road Dec. 4 in Spokane, Washington, where it will take on Gonzaga at 7 p.m. Phoenix time.
News and Notes
- GCU junior Julianna LaMendola scored a career-high 21 points, eight of which came in the first quarter. The Texas native drained five 3-pointers and added four rebounds and a blocked shot.
- Lopes senior Anisa Jeffries had her second straight double-digit point game with 12 points, six rebounds, and three steals. Jeffries finished the Frisco week totaling 29 points.
- The Lopes knocked down a season-high 10 3s, including 4 of 8 in the fourth quarter. The squad also shot a season-low five three throws, the first game this season not attempting double-digit free throw numbers.
- LaMendola paced GCU (1-6) early in the game, scoring eight of the team's 13 first quarter points. The Lopes trailed 16-13 at the end of one and 28-23 after the second.
Shooting a combined 31% from the floor in the first half, the Lopes recorded a 43% clip in the third quarter, seeing contributions from LaMendola (five points), Jeffries (four points) and sophomore Chloe Mann (four points). The defense held UTSA to 35% shooting, its lowest percentage of Wednesday's four quarters and nearly went into the fourth quarter with a lead before a last second 3-pointer gave the Roadrunners a 40-38 advantage.
The first three quarters saw 68 combined points, whereas the fourth quarter had each team knocking down shot after shot for 51 points and 15 made field goals.
GCU kept its stride from the third to fourth quarter, scoring 14 of the quarter's first 19 points. Lopes graduate guard Ale'jah Douglas stepped up with eight fourth-quarter points, followed by another eight-point quarter from LaMendola.
Leading 62-57 with less than a minute to play, the Roadrunners sank a 3 to pull within two points. After a pair of Douglas free throws, UTSA again made a 3, cutting the GCU lead to 64-63 with 33 seconds to spare.
The Lopes turned it over on the ensuing possession, and with seven seconds remaining, UTSA took its first lead since the end of the third quarter. The Roadrunners' Cheyenne Rowe made her seventh and eighth free throws, leaving GCU one last attempt at the basket with time winding down.
Off the inbound, Mann took the ball upcourt and went toward the baseline before finding Jeffries in the paint. Jeffries' shot at the buzzer missed just short.
UTSA went 16 of 17 from the free throw line, while GCU had a season-low 13 turnovers.
GCU heads back on the road Dec. 4 in Spokane, Washington, where it will take on Gonzaga at 7 p.m. Phoenix time.
Team Stats
UTSA
GCU
FG%
.392
.417
3FG%
.600
.333
FT%
.941
.800
RB
38
27
TO
20
13
STL
8
9
Game Leaders
Pts
21
FGM
8
3FGM
5
FTM
0
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
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