2nd half becomes 2nd wind for GCU win

Saturday, February 21

Phoenix, Ariz.

12 p.m. (MST)

Grand Canyon

10-17,9-8Mountain West

Utah State

6-20,2-15Mountain West

Utah St.

Grand Canyon

Photo by: David Kadlubowski

2/21/2026 4:14:00 PM | Women's Basketball, Paul Coro

Box Score Photo Gallery

Lopes hold Aggies to opponent season low of 43 points

By: Paul Coro

Grand Canyon could have become caught up in the direction of Saturday's first half blowing against them with missed shots and few free throws.

Instead, the Lopes adjusted the sails and caught a second wind that turned a two-point halftime lead into a 63-43 conference blowout of Utah State at Global Credit Union Arena.

Phoenix, AZ Feb.121 2026: Then Lopes to Utah State 63-43 at Global Credit Union Arena. David Kadlubowski/GCU

GCU (10-17, 9-8 Mountain West) allowed a season-low 43 points by never yielding more than 12 points in a quarter and keep the Aggies to 35.4% shooting for the game. The victory puts the Lopes alone in sixth place with three games remaining before the Mountain West Championship.

The Lopes capitalized on consistent defense Saturday with an offensive turnaround that featured better ball movement. GCU assisted on 13 of 17 second-half baskets with freshman guard Ines Zounia delivering four of them on a day she led the team in steals with three.

"We did a much better job of sharing the ball and not trying to score on the first side every time down the floor, the first initial action," Lopes head coach Winston Gandy said. "We were able to get some easier buckets and uncontested shots. When you take good shots, good shots fall."

For a season which GCU's record has swung on five one- or two-point losses, the details could be the difference in the way it finishes the season and plays in the conference tournament.

GCU was trailing 19-18 and shooting 25% before it found flow on three consecutive scores before halftime. Lopes sophomore Chloe Mann caught Utah State imbalanced for a quick scoring drive, late-half substitute Sifa Ineza knocked down the team's first 3-pointer of the game off senior Anisa Jeffries' assist and junior Julianna LaMendola capped a frustrating shooting half with a post fadeaway score.

"Not in a bad way, she's probably our most hard-headed player in the sense that it takes a lot for her to second-guess herself," Gandy said of LaMendola. "She's put a lot of work in, a lot of time in. Sometimes, it takes her a little bit to get into the rhythm of the game. She kept competing and kept finding different ways to score, which I've challenged her on this whole season."

Phoenix, AZ Feb.121 2026: Then Lopes to Utah State 63-43 at Global Credit Union Arena. David Kadlubowski/GCU

LaMendola, the Lopes' second-leading scorer to Mann this season, missed her first seven shots Saturday but continued to be an integral part of a stifling defense and the team's best rebounder.

After the 0-for-7 start in the first 11 minutes, LaMendola went 7 for 11 and finished with team highs for points (14) and rebounds (nine).

"I had to adjust to the physicality," LaMendola said. "I thought I was attacking with the same aggression. That obviously was not enough. In the second half, I was like, 'All right, I've either got to put my head down and go or start getting some more assists.' "

The Lopes had the same mentality as a whole, shooting the lead to 34-25 when Zounia scored curling to the hoop off senior guard Casey Valenti-Paea's pass and then returned the favor with a pocket pass to freshman power forward Norah Moo.

Phoenix, AZ Feb.121 2026: Then Lopes to Utah State 63-43 at Global Credit Union Arena. David Kadlubowski/GCU

Utah State remained in range at 36-31 with two minutes to go in the third quarter before GCU shut out the Aggies for a seven-minute span that included steals by Jeffries, Zounia and junior center Holly Griffiths.

With her most playing time in a conference game this season, Griffiths gave the Lopes seven points, three rebounds and a steal in 10 minutes.

"Leaning into that good energy going into next week is a really good positive for us," Griffiths said ahead of Wednesday's return to her former school, Fresno State.

GCU scored 12 points in a three-minute span of the fourth quarter to take a 56-34 lead when Griffiths knocked down a jumper off an assist from Valenti-Paea, her fellow Australian. Griffiths accounted for six of the 12 points in that game-clinching span.

The Lopes also received important defensive impact off the bench from senior guard Karley Johnson, who was a plus-19 in her 20 minutes. The other half of the game without Johnson was practically even for GCU at plus-one.

"It's by committee," Gandy said. "We're not designed for one or two people to carry us."

GCU's finishing stretch includes two road games, the next stop Wednesday at Fresno State and the regular-season finale March 3 at Wyoming. The Lopes' home finale will be next Saturday against San José State at Global Credit Union Arena.

"You want your most connected team," Gandy said. "Typically, how you end the season is how you typically finish the tournament. Can we practice with the level of professionalism that you need to have around this time of year? And then can we carry that to games. I like where we're trending."