Last second shot falls short at Air Force

Saturday, February 7

USAF Academy, Colo.

1 p.m. (MST)

Grand Canyon

9-15,8-6Mountain West

Air Force

11-12,5-8Mountain West

Grand Canyon

Air Force

2/7/2026 4:27:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

LaMendola scores career high 26, adds 7 boards

By: Nick Macdonald

USAFA, Colo – Down one with five seconds to spare, Grand Canyon women's basketball's last second shot by sophomore Chloe Mann fell short, snapping its three-game winning streak.

The Lopes dropped just its third game over a nine-game spread, 65-64. GCU moves to 9-15 overall and 8-6 in Mountain West play, a half game back of New Mexico in fifth place.

Junior Julianna LaMendola dropped a career high 26 points with seven rebounds and three blocks to her name. The loss is only the second this season in a game that LaMendola scores in double figures (7-2).

Air Force (11-12, 5-8 MW) were led by Milahnie Perry, who also scored 26 points, and became Air Force's D-I all-time leading scorer.

The Falcons led 21-15 after the first, a quarter in which Air Force had 12 free throw attempts to GCU's two. The Lopes finished with 13 fouls for the game, six of which came in the game's first 10 minutes.

It was a four-point, 37-33 game at the half as LaMendola scored nine points in the second quarter alone. Her, graduate Casey Valenti-Paea, and senior Anisa Jeffries combined for 25 of the team's 33 first half points at the break.

The movement of the game stayed the same from the second quarter to third, a back-and-forth affair as both offenses went shot for shot, nearly shooting the same percentage as a team (AF 43%, GCU 42%).

Air Force saw its biggest lead of the afternoon early in the third, leading by nine after opening the fourth on back-to-back jumpers. GCU clawed its way back, eventually making it a one-point contest (60-59) with 4:30 left in regulation.

LaMendola finished the game with three made 3 pointers, none more important than a top of the key swish at the one-minute mark. The Texas native, who finished 10 of 15 from the field, 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 three from Jeffries and a missed tip-in from freshman Ines Zounia gave Air Force the ball with 17 second remaining.

Perry, who finished 9 of 23 from the floor and 8 of 10 from the line, drove left and sunk a jumper inside the paint to make it 65-64 with eight seconds left.

Air Force had two fouls to give and used them, eventually dwindling the clock to five seconds with one last possession for GCU. Mann took the inbound after a deflected pass and heaved a floater from the baseline, rattling off the rim and out as time expired.

The Lopes outrebounded the Falcons 40-34 and sunk 11 of 12 free throws, its second-best percentage from the line this season with at least 10 attempts. It was only the second time this season 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 Thomas and Mack Center.