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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Saturday's 8:30 p.m. Phoenix time tipoff streams on Mountain West Network

By: Nick Macdonald

Grand Canyon women's basketball embarks on its first Mountain West Championship tournament this weekend, facing Utah State in the first round Saturday night at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

AT A GLANCE

The Lopes enter postseason play for the first time as a member of the Mountain West, finishing with an 11-9 record in conference play.
GCU has won three of its last four games entering Las Vegas. Four of its losses in MW play this season have come by two points or fewer, and the Lopes are the only MW team to defeat No. 1 seed San Diego State.
In MW play, GCU has held opponents to 62.8 points per game. Over its last four games, that number has lowered to 49.0, as GCU has held its last four opponents to 60 points or fewer, including 52 points or fewer three times.
Junior forward Julianna LaMendola is averaging 12.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in Mountain West play, both ranking in the top 15. LaMendola has scored in double figures 13 times with nine games of at least seven rebounds in conference action.
Sophomore guard Chloe Mann is second in the Mountain West in free throw percentage, shooting 83.7% overall and 81% in conference play. Mann is the team's leading scorer with 391 points, while also dishing out 92 assists and notching 32 steals.
The Lopes have pulled down 36 or more rebounds in each of their last four games, totaling double-figure offensive boards in three of those games. When grabbing 41 or more rebounds, GCU is 7-1 this season while it is 4-1 in games it has 15 or more offensive boards.
The Lopes' defense has been lockdown over its past four games, totaling 31 steals in that span while holding opponents to 31% shooting from the field.
GCU's scoring comes from all over, averaging 22.4 bench points per game to rank 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 on Saturday evening at Thomas & 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, GCU would face No. 3 seed Colorado State on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Phoenix time. The Rams beat the Lopes twice this season.

SCOUTING UTAH STATE

Utah State enters the Mountain West Championship at 6-23 overall and 2-18 in conference play. It enters Las Vegas as the No. 11 seed.
The Aggies are seeking their first win since Dec. 31 and are coming off a narrow overtime loss to Nevada on Tuesday.
Two of the top four free throw shooting teams will square off in Round 1, with the Aggies owning a 74.1% clip from the line.
Utah State ranks fourth in 3-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 12.3 clip per game. She also has 90 boards and 33 steals.
In 20 games, Sophie Sene is averaging a team-best 6.3 rebounds per game.
GCU defeated Utah State by 20 points in each outing this season, most recently a 63-43 victory on Feb. 21.