Completed Event: Women's Basketball versus San Diego State on February 4, 2026 , Win , 57, to, 44
W Basketball
vs San Diego State
W 57-44
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Saturday, February 7
USAF Academy, Colo.
1 p.m. (MST)
Grand Canyon
9-15,8-6Mountain West
64
at
65
Air Force
11-12,5-8Mountain West
1st quarter1
2nd quarter2
3rd quarter3
4th quarter4
FinalF
Grand Canyon
15
18
16
15
64
Air Force
21
16
17
11
65
Last-second shot falls short at Air Force
2/7/2026 4:27:00 PM | Women's Basketball
GCU's LaMendola scores career-high 26, adds 7 boards
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Down one point with five seconds to spare in the game, Grand Canyon women's basketball's last-second shot by sophomore guard Chloe Mann just missed for Air Force to survive with a 65-64 win Saturday.
The Lopes dropped just their third game over a nine-game spread and ended a three-game winning streak. GCU (9-15, 8-6 Mountain West) remains a half-game back of New Mexico in fifth place.
GCU junior Julianna LaMendola dropped a career-high 26 points with seven rebounds and three blocked shots. The loss is only the second this season in a game that LaMendola scored in double figures (7-2).
Air Force (11-12, 5-8 MW) was led by Milahnie Perry, who also scored 26 points and became Air Force's all-time leading scorer in its Division I era.
"Today was not treating the game with the right respect it deserves," GCU head coach Winston Gandy said. "It's a part of our maturity that has to grow. I do not like introducing losing into the equation, and we did that tonight. And credit goes to Air Force and how they played. They did everything I knew they were going to do, competed until the end and competed in every quarter we played in. But we introduced losing into the equation tonight and we have to take responsibility for that."
The Falcons led 21-15 after the first quarter, when Air Force attempted 12 free throws to GCU's two. The Lopes finished with 13 fouls, six of which came in the first 10 minutes.
It was a 37-33 Air Force lead at the half as LaMendola scored nine points in the second quarter. LaMendola, graduate guard Casey Valenti-Paea and senior forward Anisa Jeffries combined for 25 of the team's 33 first-half points.
The movement of the game stayed the same from the second quarter to the third, making it a back-and-forth affair as the team went shot for shot to nearly shoot the same percentage (Air Force 43%, GCU 42%).
Air Force took its largest lead early in the third and led by nine after opening the fourth on back-to-back jumpers. GCU clawed its way back, eventually making it a one-point contest at 60-59 with 4:30 remaining.
LaMendola made three 3-pointers, none more important than a top-of-the arc swish at the one-minute mark. The Texas native made 10 of 15 shots and gave GCU its first lead since midway through the first quarter.
The Lopes had an opportunity to take a larger lead on the next possession – a missed 3 from Jeffries and a missed tip-in from freshman Ines Zounia. That gave Air Force possessions with 17 seconds remaining.
Perry, who finished 9 of 23 from the floor and 8 of 10 from the free throw line, drove left and sank a jumper inside the paint to make it a 65-64 Falcons lead with eight seconds left.
Air Force had two fouls to give and used them, eventually dwindling the clock to five seconds for GCU's last possession. Mann took the inbound after a deflected pass and launched a floater from the baseline that caromed off the back of the rim as time expired.
"I know this team is in need of a bye," Gandy said. "We have been going every week since Christmas, I recognize that, and I recognize coming here is just another tough place to play. But if you were to tell me up one with 11 seconds left, and we have the ball? Tonight, we just introduced losing into the equation and with well-coached teams like Air Force, they take advantage of it. We still had a chance at the end of the game to win it but couldn't do it. We will have to see who we are as a team after the bye."
The Lopes outrebounded the Falcons 40-34 and sank 11 of 12 free throws for their second-best percentage from the line this season (10-attempt minimum). It was only the second time this season that the Lopes lost a game when grabbing 40 or more rebounds.
GCU has a bye next week and will pick back up Saturday, Feb. 14, at UNLV at The Pavilion.
The Lopes dropped just their third game over a nine-game spread and ended a three-game winning streak. GCU (9-15, 8-6 Mountain West) remains a half-game back of New Mexico in fifth place.
GCU junior Julianna LaMendola dropped a career-high 26 points with seven rebounds and three blocked shots. The loss is only the second this season in a game that LaMendola scored in double figures (7-2).
Air Force (11-12, 5-8 MW) was led by Milahnie Perry, who also scored 26 points and became Air Force's all-time leading scorer in its Division I era.
"Today was not treating the game with the right respect it deserves," GCU head coach Winston Gandy said. "It's a part of our maturity that has to grow. I do not like introducing losing into the equation, and we did that tonight. And credit goes to Air Force and how they played. They did everything I knew they were going to do, competed until the end and competed in every quarter we played in. But we introduced losing into the equation tonight and we have to take responsibility for that."
The Falcons led 21-15 after the first quarter, when Air Force attempted 12 free throws to GCU's two. The Lopes finished with 13 fouls, six of which came in the first 10 minutes.
It was a 37-33 Air Force lead at the half as LaMendola scored nine points in the second quarter. LaMendola, graduate guard Casey Valenti-Paea and senior forward Anisa Jeffries combined for 25 of the team's 33 first-half points.
The movement of the game stayed the same from the second quarter to the third, making it a back-and-forth affair as the team went shot for shot to nearly shoot the same percentage (Air Force 43%, GCU 42%).
Air Force took its largest lead early in the third and led by nine after opening the fourth on back-to-back jumpers. GCU clawed its way back, eventually making it a one-point contest at 60-59 with 4:30 remaining.
LaMendola made three 3-pointers, none more important than a top-of-the arc swish at the one-minute mark. The Texas native made 10 of 15 shots and gave GCU its first lead since midway through the first quarter.
The Lopes had an opportunity to take a larger lead on the next possession – a missed 3 from Jeffries and a missed tip-in from freshman Ines Zounia. That gave Air Force possessions with 17 seconds remaining.
Perry, who finished 9 of 23 from the floor and 8 of 10 from the free throw line, drove left and sank a jumper inside the paint to make it a 65-64 Falcons lead with eight seconds left.
Air Force had two fouls to give and used them, eventually dwindling the clock to five seconds for GCU's last possession. Mann took the inbound after a deflected pass and launched a floater from the baseline that caromed off the back of the rim as time expired.
"I know this team is in need of a bye," Gandy said. "We have been going every week since Christmas, I recognize that, and I recognize coming here is just another tough place to play. But if you were to tell me up one with 11 seconds left, and we have the ball? Tonight, we just introduced losing into the equation and with well-coached teams like Air Force, they take advantage of it. We still had a chance at the end of the game to win it but couldn't do it. We will have to see who we are as a team after the bye."
The Lopes outrebounded the Falcons 40-34 and sank 11 of 12 free throws for their second-best percentage from the line this season (10-attempt minimum). It was only the second time this season that the Lopes lost a game when grabbing 40 or more rebounds.
GCU has a bye next week and will pick back up Saturday, Feb. 14, at UNLV at The Pavilion.
Team Stats
GCU
USAFA
FG%
.390
.383
3FG%
.280
.250
FT%
.917
.800
RB
40
34
TO
16
10
STL
3
7
Game Leaders
Pts
26
FGM
10
3FGM
3
FTM
3
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
9
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
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