Completed Event: Women's Basketball versus Santa Clara on December 14, 2025 , Loss , 72, to, 91
W Basketball
vs Santa Clara
L 72-91
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Saturday, January 3
Boise, Idaho
2 p.m. (MST)
Grand Canyon
3-11,2-2Mountain West
87
at
76
Boise State
10-5,1-3Mountain West
1
2
3
4
F
Grand Canyon
16
28
22
21
87
Boise St.
18
15
24
19
76
5 double-digit scorers fuel Lopes win over Broncos
1/3/2026 5:10:00 PM | Women's Basketball
GCU's Jeffries leads way with 13-point, 14-rebound road effort
BOISE, Idaho – Winning its first-ever Mountain West road game a week ago sparked Grand Canyon's overall play. A Lopes win against a conference team who entered the afternoon undefeated at home in 2025-26? That will only fuel the fire.
GCU (3-11, 2-2 MW) had a plethora of scoring throughout an 87-76 victory over Boise State on Saturday at ExtraMile Arena, where they posted a scoring season high. GCU shot 41% from the floor, made seven 3-pointers and knocked down 20 of 26 free throws for its second straight conference road victory.
Nine Lopes cracked the scoring column, five of which saw double figures for the first time this season. Sophomore guard Chloe Mann led GCU with 17 points, including three 3-pointers, and added eight rebounds.
Senior guard Anisa Jeffries recorded the second double-double of any Lope this season, scoring 13 points and pulling down 14 rebounds, doubling her previous season high for boards. Jeffries grabbed seven offensive boards and added four assists and two steals in 29 minutes.
Freshman guard Ines Zounia, who started for the third straight game, notched 12 points, two rebounds, three rebounds and three steals for her third straight double-digit scoring game in the past four games.
The scorers highlighted the performance, but a key piece to the success started at tipoff. GCU junior Kaitlyn Elsholz started for the first time as a Lope in her second GCU season. And sure enough, the Peoria, Arizona, native scored the first basket for the Lopes and finished with four points, four rebounds and an assist.
"She brings all the intangibles – everything that our program is about, that's what she brings," GCU head coach Winston Gandy said. "I think that group needed Kait because Kait was the only one that was not walking on eggshells to start the game. She was like, 'Oh, nobody else will attack. I will.' The fearlessness, the reckless abandon she plays with , really helps gets those other guys going."
That was the only Lopes bucket in a slow start that put GCU behind 12-2 to Boise State (10-5, 1-3 MW) four minutes into game time. But one of the toughest nonconference schedules paved way to experience when facing a deficit. GCU outscored the Broncos 14-6 for the rest of quarter, including a 10-2 run over the final 2:18.
"I don't want to take all the losses we did in the nonconference in the last four minutes, but I'd be foolish to say that stuff didn't pay off down the stretch," Gandy said.
The scoring rolled over into the second quarter. GCU shot 58% from the floor, knocked down four 3-pointers – two via Mann – and a two-point deficit turned into an 11-point lead at the break, the Lopes' largest halftime lead this season.
While scoring highlighted the day, GCU held Boise State to 28% from deep. The Broncos entered Saturday ranked fourth in the nation from beyond the arc at just under 40% for the season. The Lopes narrowly beat the Broncos in the rebounding department (42-38), but the second-half presence from Jeffries on the glass led to 22 second-chance points, 12 more than Boise State.
The Lopes stayed resilient despite Boise State tying the game at 66-66 three minutes into the fourth quarter. Jeffries converted a layup, and junior teammate Julianna LaMendola scored the exclamation basket to fire up the bench, converting her second 3-point play of her 16-point game.
"She's a really talented player," Gandy said of Jeffries, a first-year NCAA player from Mexico. "She impacted the game. We're asking her to guard the best player and deliver for us."
Boise State tightened the GCU lead to 78-74 with 1:23 remaining, and the Lopes' free throw shooting proved vital. The Mountain West free throw percentage leader went 4 of 4 to close out the victory.
GCU returns to action Wednesday at San Diego State at 7 p.m. (Phoenix time). Live coverage will be on the Mountain West Network and MW app.
GCU (3-11, 2-2 MW) had a plethora of scoring throughout an 87-76 victory over Boise State on Saturday at ExtraMile Arena, where they posted a scoring season high. GCU shot 41% from the floor, made seven 3-pointers and knocked down 20 of 26 free throws for its second straight conference road victory.
Nine Lopes cracked the scoring column, five of which saw double figures for the first time this season. Sophomore guard Chloe Mann led GCU with 17 points, including three 3-pointers, and added eight rebounds.
Senior guard Anisa Jeffries recorded the second double-double of any Lope this season, scoring 13 points and pulling down 14 rebounds, doubling her previous season high for boards. Jeffries grabbed seven offensive boards and added four assists and two steals in 29 minutes.
Freshman guard Ines Zounia, who started for the third straight game, notched 12 points, two rebounds, three rebounds and three steals for her third straight double-digit scoring game in the past four games.
The scorers highlighted the performance, but a key piece to the success started at tipoff. GCU junior Kaitlyn Elsholz started for the first time as a Lope in her second GCU season. And sure enough, the Peoria, Arizona, native scored the first basket for the Lopes and finished with four points, four rebounds and an assist.
"She brings all the intangibles – everything that our program is about, that's what she brings," GCU head coach Winston Gandy said. "I think that group needed Kait because Kait was the only one that was not walking on eggshells to start the game. She was like, 'Oh, nobody else will attack. I will.' The fearlessness, the reckless abandon she plays with , really helps gets those other guys going."
That was the only Lopes bucket in a slow start that put GCU behind 12-2 to Boise State (10-5, 1-3 MW) four minutes into game time. But one of the toughest nonconference schedules paved way to experience when facing a deficit. GCU outscored the Broncos 14-6 for the rest of quarter, including a 10-2 run over the final 2:18.
"I don't want to take all the losses we did in the nonconference in the last four minutes, but I'd be foolish to say that stuff didn't pay off down the stretch," Gandy said.
The scoring rolled over into the second quarter. GCU shot 58% from the floor, knocked down four 3-pointers – two via Mann – and a two-point deficit turned into an 11-point lead at the break, the Lopes' largest halftime lead this season.
While scoring highlighted the day, GCU held Boise State to 28% from deep. The Broncos entered Saturday ranked fourth in the nation from beyond the arc at just under 40% for the season. The Lopes narrowly beat the Broncos in the rebounding department (42-38), but the second-half presence from Jeffries on the glass led to 22 second-chance points, 12 more than Boise State.
The Lopes stayed resilient despite Boise State tying the game at 66-66 three minutes into the fourth quarter. Jeffries converted a layup, and junior teammate Julianna LaMendola scored the exclamation basket to fire up the bench, converting her second 3-point play of her 16-point game.
"She's a really talented player," Gandy said of Jeffries, a first-year NCAA player from Mexico. "She impacted the game. We're asking her to guard the best player and deliver for us."
Boise State tightened the GCU lead to 78-74 with 1:23 remaining, and the Lopes' free throw shooting proved vital. The Mountain West free throw percentage leader went 4 of 4 to close out the victory.
GCU returns to action Wednesday at San Diego State at 7 p.m. (Phoenix time). Live coverage will be on the Mountain West Network and MW app.
Team Stats
GCU
Boise
FG%
.417
.431
3FG%
.250
.286
FT%
.769
.727
RB
42
38
TO
13
17
STL
7
6
Game Leaders
Pts
17
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
4
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballGCU Women's Basketball at Boise State - Highlights
Sunday, January 04
GCU Women's Basketball vs. Colorado State - Highlights
Thursday, January 01
GCU Women's Basketball at San José State - Postgame with Julianna LaMendola
Monday, December 29
Jules ends the 3rd quarter with a bucket
Monday, December 29