GCU narrowly falls in back-and-forth battle at Gonzaga

Thursday, December 4

Spokane, Wash.

7 p.m. (MST)

Grand Canyon

1-7,0-0Mountain West

Gonzaga

5-4,0-0WCC

Grand Canyon

Gonzaga

GCU narrowly falls in back-and-forth battle at Gonzaga

12/4/2025 10:09:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Mann ties career high 26 points

By: Nick Macdonald

SPOKANE, Wash. – A pair of 20 plus point scorers, 10 lead changes, and 13 ties quickly note the intense back-and-forth battle between Grand Canyon and Gonzaga in front of 4,500 plus at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

And in front of a loud Gonzaga faithful, GCU fell 62-58 for its fourth loss by five points or less this in the 2025-26 non conference slate.

Sophomore Chloe Mann tied a career high with 26 points – the most of any Lope in a single-game this season – and added three rebounds, three assists, and four steals.

GCU moves to 1-7 on the season and heads back home with three straight at Global Credit Union Arena. The Lopes have played twice at home this season and will host Saint Mary's and Santa Clara for the final two non conference matchups this year.

A low scoring affair ensued through the first half of the first quarter, with GCU holding a 6-2 advantage at the under-five mark. Gonzaga's Lauren Whittaker, who came in averaging 19 points and eight rebounds, began to connect from inside the paint, and helped the Zags score 14 of its 16 first quarter points in a five-minute stretch.

GCU had an answer to Whittaker in Mann, who had eight second quarter points to push her first half total to 15 after 20 minutes. Gonzaga led 16-11 after the first, and GCU outscored the Bulldogs 16-11 in the second, for all square 27-27 score through one half.

While Mann led the Lopes in scoring, the effort her teammates highlighted one of the best first half showings by the purple and white this season. Senior Karley Johnson was hit on a layup and dove to her right, putting up a one-handed layup that knocked off the glass and in for the and-1. Junior Julianna LaMendola had three boards, while senior Anisa Jeffries had four points and four steals, attributing to the 14 turnovers the Zags committed.

Neither the Lopes nor the Zags wanted to budge. Mann added another seven in the third while Whittaker notched eight, and the two sides who met for just the second time in program history were knotted up 45 all after 30 minutes.

The largest lead since the end of the first quarter was obtained by Gonzaga, who started the fourth quarter on a 9-2 run and led 54-47 with six minutes to play. Graduate Ale'jah Douglas made a pair of free throws and took an opponent turnover the other way for two points to cut it to three.

On the inbound, Douglas stole the pass and attempted a three but missed. Johnson, who led all Lopes with six rebounds, gathered the ball and flung it out to LaMendola, who found graduate Casey Valenti-Paea at the opposite side wing with no one around. Valenti-Paea sank the three pointer and what was once a seven-point Gonzaga cushion was a tie with 4:40 remaining.

Two more ties occurred over the final four minutes of action, and the Lopes had a chance to take the lead with seconds to spare, but a corner pocket three pointer by Mann was blocked by Gonzaga's Taylor Smith and rebounded by Whittaker.

The Zags sent Ines Bettencourt to the line, who drained both attempts for the four-point win.

Gonzaga was held to 1 of 8 from three, its lowest made total of the season and first game making less than four from beyond the arc. Subsequentially, GCU shot 60% from the line (9-15), its lowest percentage of the season after shooting 70% or better six times before.

GCU heads back home and hosts WCC opponent Saint Mary's Sunday, Dec. 7 at 1 p.m.