Hot start, stifling defense wipe Wyoming

Saturday, January 31

Phoenix, Ariz.

1 p.m. (MST)

Grand Canyon

8-14,7-5Mountain West

Wyoming

8-13,5-7Mountain West

Wyoming

Grand Canyon

Photo by: Brayden Stenner/GCU

1/31/2026 5:27:00 PM | Women's Basketball, Paul Coro

Box Score Photo Gallery

Lopes keept Cowgirls to 31.5% shooting as LaMendola scores 19

By: Paul Coro

For a moment in the third quarters of the past two wins, the Grand Canyon women's basketball team could have taken a snapshot of where it can go.

The Lopes continue to ride the upward trajectory of an overlooked stock, improving through the rigors of their nonconference schedule to be 7-5 in Mountain West play after chilling Wyoming for a 57-47 win Saturday at Global Credit Union Arena.

Phoenix, AZ - January 31, 2026. GCU Women's Basketball wins 57-47 against Wyoming at Global Credit Union Arena. Brayden Stenner/GCU.

Phoenix, AZ - January 31, 2026. GCU Women's Basketball wins 57-47 against Wyoming at Global Credit Union Arena. Brayden Stenner/GCU.

But with Mountain West leader San Diego State coming to the arena Wednesday night, GCU knows it needs to be the team that built consecutive second-half leads of more than 20 points against Utah State and Wyoming more than the one that allowed the margin to be reduced to eight each time. The Lopes are leaving room for improvement, but they are a much different team in the past 11 games (7-4) than the first 11 games (1-10).

On Saturday, Lopes junior Julianna LaMendola scored 14 of her 19 points in the first half to spark GCU's 37-21 halftime lead, and the defense was stingy enough to make a 21-point lead stand up through its offensive drought and end Wyoming's four-game winning streak.

GCU's intense, attentive defense allowed a season-low 47 points to Wyoming, which shot 31.5% from the field. The Cowgirls (8-13, 5-7 MW) could not catch the Lopes in the game or the standings because of their lack of offense outside conference leading scorer Marlene Pedersen, who scored 20 while her teammates went 8 for 36 from the field (22%).

"We had a good half, so I'm not going to overreact to this game," GCU head coach Winston Gandy said. "I didn't love it, but we won the rebounding and we won the 3-point line, and those were the two keys. The rest of the way, we've got to win those two categories for us to win."

Wyoming normally gets one-third of its scoring from 3-pointers, but the Lopes' tight perimeter defense held the Cowgirls to 3-for-18 accuracy from beyond the arc and led to rushed turnovers and misses when the 3 was denied.

Phoenix, AZ - January 31, 2026. GCU Women's Basketball wins 57-47 against Wyoming at Global Credit Union Arena. Brayden Stenner/GCU.

On Wyoming's first possession, GCU senior forward Anisa Jeffries blocked Pedersen's 3-point shot to set a tone that the Cowgirls' go-to offense would not come easily. Wyoming went 0 for 7 on 3s in the first quarter, but GCU did not break the game open until freshman guard Ines Zounia sparked an 11-0 second-quarter run with five of the points, including her only made shot on nine attempts.

LaMendola matched her career high for made 3-pointers with five, knocking down four of those in the game's first 11 minutes to give GCU a lead that it held wire to wire. The Coppell, Texas, native was shooting 27% from 3-point range this season until she went 8 for 12 on 3s in the past two games.

"She has been putting a lot of time in," Gandy said. "She's a perfectionist. She saw where her 3-point percentage was and realizing it's a balance. I don't want her to shoot all 3s, but that's got to be part of her game. Our team needs that. It's really nice when you can see that work come to fruition in the game. She had a balanced day."

Much of that work was set up by GCU guards, who drove and kick to set up the open perimeter looks. She also drove for a second-chance score in the second quarter, as the Lopes took advantage of 11 offensive rebounds for 11 second-chance points.

"It's intentionality and wanting to win," LaMendola said. "I'm a competitor. I'll do anything for my team, regardless of how many points I score, rebounds I have, assists, turnovers. I'm going to do what's right and hopefully be an example for what it looks like on the court for my teammates."

Gandy employed a 12-player rotation as he tried to limit key players' playing time during this stretch of the season in which GCU is the last conference team to get a bye.

Phoenix, AZ - January 31, 2026. GCU Women's Basketball wins 57-47 against Wyoming at Global Credit Union Arena. Brayden Stenner/GCU.

The Lopes took their largest lead of the game when freshman power forward Norah Moo, who had eight points and six rebounds, grabbed an offensive rebound and drew a foul for two free throws that put GCU ahead 48-27 with 5:52 remaining in the third quarter.

After that, GCU went 3 for 28 from the field for the remainder of the game, but its defense held Wyoming off from surging back. Wyoming went four third-quarter minutes without making a shot but then scrambled to make a late push to trail 55-47 with 1:47 remaining. A Zounia steal on a crosscourt pass and fastbreak assists to graduate guard Casey Valenti-Paea iced the game.

"We did a really good job of staying focused, locked in, playing the right way and having the competitive spirit for a half," Gandy said. "I thought we messed around way too much in that second half, but like I told them, we're fortunate that we get a chance to learn in a win. I think they know there's no way we can play the way we did and have some success against San Diego State."

GCU won despite shooting its lowest shooting percentage, 27.9%, since Opening Night at South Carolina. But Lopes sophomore point guard Chloe Mann continued to show growth as a playmaker. She was a video review away from not making a turnover and scored nine of her 11 points in the second half.

"It's been more about letting the game come to me, just with the flow of the game," Mann said. "Coach Gandy has been on me about not pressing to do what I do as much early in the game. Because at the end of the day, if I get my teammates involved early, that's when I can go attack the paint in the second half.

"And vice versa, if I'm scoring in the first half, they're going to start collapsing on me, and I can get my teammates the ball. Just making my team better is the top priority for me."

GCU is now 7-4 since its 1-10 start. The Lopes went from allowing 47.5% shooting over the first 11 games to limiting opponents to 40.3% shooting over the past 11 games.

"We'll move right onto San Diego State," Gandy said. "We've got to show we can beat a top-three team. We got swept by Colorado State, one-point loss to UNLV and really got our doors blown off by San Diego State. We get another chance against the top two. We're going to have to beat one or both of them to get through the tournament."