Nonconference road slate ends Thursday with clash at Gonzaga

Thursday, December 4

Spokane, Wash.

7 p.m. (MST)

Grand Canyon

Gonzaga

Photo by: Mario Terrana

Nonconference road slate ends Thursday with clash at Gonzaga

12/3/2025 11:40:00 AM | Women's Basketball

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Lopes face Zags on ESPN+ before returning for 3-game homestand

By: Nick Macdonald

Grand Canyon heads back to the Pacific Northwest to face Gonzaga on Thursday night on ESPN+. It is the final game of three consecutive matchups away from Phoenix before hosting three straight games at Global Credit Union Arena over the next two weeks.

AT A GLANCE

Coming off two close losses in the Hoopfest Women's Basketball Challenge in Frisco, Texas, GCU travels to Spokane to face Gonzaga (4-4) for the second time in program history Thursday.
The Lopes' last three losses have come by a combined eight points, including a one-point defeat against UT San Antonio in Frisco.
GCU's NET ranking as of Dec. 2 is 145, owning a NET strength of schedule of 18. The Lopes have played two Quad 1 games and one each in Quad 2 and one Quad 3 this season.
Lopes sophomore guard Chloe Mann leads the team with 12.4 points per game and is second in the Mountain West in free throw percentage (88.2%). Mann is 30 of 34 from the line this season and 14 of 15 over the past three games.
GCU junior wing Julianna LaMendola is the team's top rebounder with 5.6 per contest, totaling 39 for the season with four games of six or more boards. LaMendola is coming off a career-best 21-point showing vs. UTSA and has scored in double figures three times this season.
Graduate guard Ale'jah Douglas is having a career start from beyond the arc this season, leading the squad with 45.8% accuracy on 3s. One of two players who returned from last year's team, Douglas' sixth player role has proved vital to the team's 25 bench points per game, which ranks second in the Mountain West. Douglas has scored in double figures five times and has knocked down multiple 3s three times.
The Lopes average 17 free throws per game, fifth most in the conference. Mann and Douglas have combined for 51 makes out on 59 attempts, shooting 86% between the pair.

THIS GAME

Grand Canyon travels back to the Pacific Northwest to take on Gonzaga on Thursday night at the McCarthey Athletic Center.
The Thursday game is the sixth away from Phoenix this season and fifth over the past six games. It is the final road trip for the Lopes until Dec. 28 because of three straight home games between Dec. 7-17.
The contest against Gonzaga is the first of three straight games against WCC teams.

SCOUTING GONZAGA

Gonzaga is 4-4 overall with a 1-2 home record at the McCarthey Athletic Center.
The Zags are 2-2 over their past four games, losing to two tough teams in Indiana and South Dakota State and defeating Eastern Washington at home and Marquette on a neutral floor.
Gonzaga enters Thursday as one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the nation, holding a 37% clip from beyond the arc to rank 33rd in the country and first in the WCC.
The Zags are also active on the boards, owning a plus-9.3 rebounding margin to rank 37th in the nation and first in the conference.
Lauren Whittaker leads Gonzaga with 19.0 points per game, ranking 37th in the country. Her 152 points lead the WCC. Whittaker is also 31st in field goals (54) and 56th in free throws (33) nationally.
Whittaker is also the team's leading rebounder at 8.1 boards per game.
Allie Turner is the other Zag in double digits, averaging 15.3 points and 2.1 rebounds per game.

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Lopes return home and are quickly back in action with a Sunday afternoon matchup against Saint Mary's at 1 p.m.
GCU then takes a week break before hosting Santa Clara on Sunday, Dec. 14, for the final nonconference game of the season.
The squad's Mountain West opener is Wednesday, Dec. 17, against UNLV, for a nationally televised game on CBS Sports Network.