Lopes face Aggies in 1st round of MW Championship

Saturday, March 7

Las Vegas, Nev.

8:30 p.m. MST

Grand Canyon

Utah State

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3/6/2026 2:42:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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8:30 p.m. Phoenix time tipoff will stream Saturday on Mountain West Network

By: Nick Macdonald

Grand Canyon women's basketball embarks on its first ever Mountain West Championship tournament this weekend, facing Utah State in the first round tomorrow evening at Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

AT A GLANCE

The Lopes enter postseason play for the first time as a member of the Mountain West conference, finishing with an 11-9 record in league play.
GCU has won three of its last four entering Las Vegas. Four of its losses in MW play this season have come by two points or less, with the Lopes the only team in the conference to defeat No. 1 seed San Diego State.
In MW play, GCU has held opponents to 62.8 points per game, but over its last four games, that number has lowered to 49 oppg, as GCU has held its last four opponents to 60 points or less, including 52 points or less three times.
Junior guard Julianna LaMendola is averaging 12.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in Mountain West play, both top 15 among MW players. LaMendola has scored in double figures 13 times with nine games with at least seven rebounds in conference action.
Sophomore guard Chloe Mann is second in the Mountain West in free throw percentage, averaging 83.7% for the season and 81% in league play. Mann is the team's leading scorer with 391 points for the season, dishing out 92 assists and notching 32 steals.
The Lopes have pulled down 36 or more rebounds in each of its last four games, totaling double figure offensive boards in three of those games. In games GCU has grabbed 41 total rebounds, it is 7-1, while it is 4-1 in games it has 15 more offensive boards.
The Lopes' defense has been lock down over its past four games, totaling 31 steals in that span while holding opponents to 31% from the field.
GCU's scoring comes from all over, averaging 22.4 bench points per game, 63rd in the country and second in the MW.

THIS GAME

Entering its first Mountain West Championship in program history, GCU holds the No. 6 seed and faces No. 11 Utah State Saturday evening at Thomas and Mack Center.
Winners of three of its last four, GCU has defeated Utah State twice this season, both games resulting in 20 point victories.
With a win, the Lopes would face off against No. 3 Colorado State Sunday evening at 7:30 p.m. MST.

SCOUTING UTAH STATE

Utah State enters the Mountain West Tournament 6-23 overall and 2-18 in conference play. It enters Las Vegas as the 11 seed.
The Aggies are seeking their first win since Dec. 31 and are coming off a narrow overtime loss to Nevada Tuesday.
Two of the top four free throw shooting teams will square off in round one, with the Aggies owning a 74.1% clip from the line.
Utah State ranks fourth in three pointers attempted per game (21.9) while also ranking fifth in steals per contest (7.2).
It ranks 69th in the nation and sixth in the league in fouls per game, averaging 15 per outing.
Aaliyah Gayles leads the offense with 259 points scored this season at a 12.3 clip per game. She also has 90 boards and 33 steals.
In 20 games, Sophie Sene has 126 boards, averaging a team best 6.3 per game.
GCU defeated the Aggies by 20 points in each outing this season, most recently a 63-43 victory Feb. 21.