Marquee matchup awaits with 1st-place Aztecs' visit

Wednesday, February 4

Phoenix, Ariz.

6 p.m. (MST)

Grand Canyon

San Diego State

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

Photo by: Brayden Stenner/GCU

2/3/2026 10:50:00 AM | Women's Basketball

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SDSU brings 13-game winning streak, 11-0 MW record to GCU

By: Nick Macdonald

Grand Canyon women's basketball hosts the No. 1 Mountain West team in San Diego State at 6 p.m. Wednesday evening. The Aztecs have won 13 consecutive contests and are 11-0 in MW play. The Lopes, who have won five of their last seven games, look to avenge a loss at Viejas Arena last month.

AT A GLANCE

Coming off two wins that saw the Lopes score the second-most points in a game this season (86 at Utah State) and allow the fewest points (47 vs. Wyoming), GCU faces its toughest test in Mountain West against 17-3 San Diego State, which enters Wednesday on a 13-game winning streak.
The Lopes have made 20 3-pointers in its past two victories, the most of any two-game stretch this season. Twelve of those 3s have been made by Julianna LaMendola and Casey Valenti-Paea, who have combined to shoot 64% on 3s in the two wins.
GCU sophomore guard Chloe Mann moved back into first place in the Mountain West in free throw shooting, owning an 86.8% clip from the line. She is 11 of 11 over her past two games and is 33rd in the nation in free throw percentage.
The Lopes have tallied five or more blocks in five of its last six games. GCU had four games with five or more blocks prior to Jan. 14 and is averaging 4.7 per game since that date.
LaMendola finished one rebound shy of a double-double last time out vs. Wyoming, notching 19 points and nine rebounds with five made 3s. LaMendola leads the squad with 11.9 points per game and 7.0 rebounds per game in conference play.
GCU is 44th nationally and second in the league with 25 bench points per game.
The Lopes have forced 93 turnovers over their past five games, averaging 18.6 forced turnovers per game in that span. They rank fourth in the Mountain West with 17.2 forced turnovers per contest this season.
GCU holds a plus-39 margin in the second quarter against MW teams this season, outscoring them 232-193.

THIS GAME

With back-to-back wins under their belt, the Lopes face first-place San Diego State at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Global Credit Union Arena.
Since its loss at SDSU on Jan. 7, GCU is 6-2 with a 3-1 showing at home.
Eight regular-season games remain from now until March 2. GCU is sixth in the MW standings, a half-game behind New Mexico for fifth and a game back of Colorado State for fourth.

SCOUTING SAN DIEGO STATE

Winners of 13 straight and undefeated in Mountain West play, San Diego State enters Phoenix in first place in the Mountain West at 17-3 overall and 11-0 in league play.
The 13 wins is tied for the sixth-longest active winning streak in the nation. Its last loss came Nov. 24 vs. Penn State in the Bahamas.
The Aztecs are 6-0 on the road this season, with five coming in MW play.
SDSU is top in the conference in multiple categories, including assist-to-turnover ratio (1.10 to 1), field goal percentage (43.5%), scoring margin (plus-11.4) and 3-pointers per game (8.7).
Nala Williams leads the conference and is 18th in the nation with a 2.35-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Her 80 assists are third most in the conference.
Nat Martinez enters with 85.7% free throw shooting, just 1.1% lower than Mann for the top spot in the MW.
Three players are averaging double-figure scoring for the year, led by Naomi Panganiban at 13.3 points per game.
SDSU is 35% from beyond the arc this season with six players shooting 30% or above with at least 25 attempts.

WHAT'S NEXT?

GCU finishes the week Saturday with a 1 p.m. game at Air Force near Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The Lopes have a bye during the following week and are back in action Feb. 14 in Las Vegas to take on UNLV.