Grand Canyon's arrival in the Mountain West conference began this past summer, but the first official Mountain West league matchup for the program begins Wednesday evening at home versus UNLV. The historic game comes with another historic viewing experience, as the Lopes and Rebels will be on CBS Sports Network, the first nationally televised contest for the women's basketball team in program history.
AT A GLANCE
- Sophomore Chloe Mann is coming off a career day where she scored 29 points on 10 of 15 shooting against Santa Clara. Mann has scored in double figures in all but one game this season, including three 20+ point performances. Mann is one of the best free throw shooters in the nation, shooting 88% from the line to rank 32nd nationally and first in the Mountain West.Â
- Senior Anisa Jeffries is second on the team in rebounding (4.6 rpg) and leads the squad with 19 steals. Jeffries has recorded a steal in eight of 10 contests, swiping 12 over her last four games.Â
- The Lopes rank first in the conference in free throw percentage, shooting 73.4% from the charity stripe. Mann leads the team at 88%, followed by graduate Ale'jah Douglas (82%), and Sifa Ineza (72%) in players who have 10+ attempts.
- GCU has 104 offensive boards this season, 17 more than their opponents combined. Five players are in double figures on the offensive rebounding end, led by freshman Norah Moo and graduate Favor Ayodele with 17 each.
- The squad finished non conference play Sunday against Santa Clara, rounding out the toughest non conference schedule in program history. The Lopes have faced two Quad 1 teams, one Quad 2, and three Quad 3 squads and own the 24th toughest schedule in the nation.
- The Lopes average 25 points off the bench each game, ranking 84th in the nation and second in the Mountain West.Â
- The defense has forced 20+ turnovers in four of its past five games, averaging 18.2 turnovers forced per game. It forced a season-best 26 against Saint Mary's Dec. 7 and have forced 60 over its past three games.
THIS GAME
- Grand Canyon opens up conference action with a meeting against 2024-25 regular season champion UNLV Wednesday night.Â
- The game will be live on CBS Sports Network, the first ever nationally televised broadcast for the program. It is one of two nationally televised games this season for the Lopes (Jan. 17 at New Mexico).
- GCU and UNLV will meet for the first time since 2019.
SCOUTING UNLV
- UNLV opens Mountain West play Wednesday against the Lopes, holding a 5-5 record including a 1-4 showing on the road.Â
- The Rebels have dropped two straight after winning three straight prior. They are coming off back-to-back road losses at Rice and Cincinnati.Â
- UNLV is at the top of the league in rebounding, pulling down 40.3 per game to rank second among MW schools. It's 27.7 defensive boards per contest are 76th in the nation and fourth in the conference.Â
- The team's leading rebounder, Meadow Roland, pulls down 9.4 per game to lead the Mountain West. Roland is averaging 13.1 points and has a team-high 22 blocks on the season, 26th best in the nation.
- Jasmyn Lott leads the team in points (14.0) and is shooting 44% from the floor and 36% from three.Â
- The Rebels are disciplined when it comes to fouling, averaging 12.5 per game to rank 12th in the country. UNLV has attempted 153 free throws, compared to its opponents 100.Â
WHAT'S NEXT?Â
- GCU goes on a winter break and will resume play Saturday, Dec. 28 at San José State.Â
- The Lopes return home a couple days later to host Colorado State on New Years Eve morning.Â