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
Sunday, March 8
Las Vegas, Nev.
7:30 p.m.
Grand Canyon
13-19,11-9Mountain West
59
vs
61
Colorado State
25-7,15-5Mountain West
1
2
3
4
F
Grand Canyon
11
18
15
15
59
Colorado St.
13
8
15
25
61
Photo by: David Kadlubowski
Buzzer-beater ends Lopes' upset threat, season
3/8/2026 10:53:00 PM | Women's Basketball, Paul Coro
GCU lost 12-point, 3rd-quarter lead in MW quarterfinal to 25-7 Colorado State
LAS VEGAS – Grand Canyon was the team that started the season 1-10 and entered Sunday's Mountain West Championship quarterfinal with two starters out, three freshmen starting and the scars of going 0-6 in games decided by two points or fewer.
Adding a seventh close loss cut deeper because the youthful Lopes flipped 14- and 17-point regular-season losses to Colorado State and led the Rams by 12 points in the third quarter Sunday night at Thomas & Mack Center.
Even after losing the lead, GCU tied the game with 2.2 seconds remaining before Colorado State 6-foot-3 senior Madelyn Bragg banked a long post-up at the buzzer to win 61-59 and end the Lopes' season.
"If nothing else, like I told them in there, 'Feel this,' " Lopes first-year head coach Winston Gandy said. "Use this experience as perspective, and you're going to be able to help the next group of people that come in here. We harp on some of the same things, and now you can maybe give them peer-to-peer or player-to-player as to why that's important. Credit to Colorado State. Good team, but we let one get away. Unfortunately, that's kind of been the story of our season."
After that 1-10 start against one of the nation's toughest nonconference schedules, GCU went 12-9 with five of those one- and two-point losses coming to Mountain West teams.
The Lopes looked like they might avoid that last-second fate Sunday against the conference's No. 3 seed and hottest team (seven consecutive wins). GCU's guards pressured the perimeter and its small-ball lineup, missing Anisa Jefferies and Casey Valenti-Paea, dominated the boards for a 11-0 advantage in second-chance points.
GCU leading scorers Julianna LaMendola and Chloe Mann only scored five points each in the first half, but the Lopes still took the lead in the second quarter with freshman power forward Norah Moo grabbing nine of her game-high 11 rebounds in the first half and reserves Ale'jah Douglas, Sifa Ineza and Karley Johnson combining for 17 points of the Lopes' 29-21 halftime lead.
Colorado State (25-7), which makes the fewest turnovers in the nation, committed 13 on Sunday and was shooting only 31% from the field when GCU led 40-28 with three minutes to go in the third quarter.
"The way they competed tonight, and they really pressured the ball," Colorado State head coach Ryun Williams said of how GCU looked different. "They got after the ball. They sped our guards up, especially early in that game. We just couldn't get into what we needed to get into. I credit their disruptiveness.
"Don't look at Grand Canyon's record. They have talented players. They're very, very good, and they're well-coached. We're not apologizing for this. This was a good win, because Grand Canyon is a really good basketball team."
When Mann delivered an inbound assist to LaMendola for a cutting score, GCU was on an 11-4 for its largest lead that enthused the hundreds of Havocs and band members who gave the Mountain West its firs taste of "Lopes Vegas."
The lead dwindled until Colorado State took its first lead in 18 minutes of play with a score off a turnover that put the Rams ahead 52-51 with 3:23 to go.
"This whole year has been about putting four quarters together, and we came really close," Mann said. "But in the fourth quarter, we lost it. I feel like, a lot of times, just sticking with what you're doing is going to get you the win, and we didn't do that. We still played hard, as hard as we played all season."
Douglas and freshman Diamond Wright kept the Lopes tight down the stretch with clutch scores, and a driving 3-point play by Mann put Colorado State's lead at 58-57 with 41 seconds to go. A defensive stop with Moo's 11the rebound gave GCU possession with 11.6 seconds to go. Out of a timeout, Wright was isolated but her left-handed pivot shot in the lane missed, forcing the Lopes to foul.
But with the Rams only converting one of two free throws, GCU called timeout to move the ball to the frontcourt with 3.2 seconds to go and a 59-57 hole. Wright delivered a perfect pass over the defense, setting up LaMendola for a lay-in on the opposite side of the time that tied the game at 59-59 with 2.2 seconds to go, although a replay shows that more time should have come off the clock.
Colorado State also called timeout to advance the ball and cleared the middle to Bragg with a jump pass from Lexus Bargesser. Bragg used her left shoulder to get into her shot against Moo and banked it to cap a 25-point fourth quarter with a buzzer-beating win. Bargesser said it was the first time the Rams had run the play correctly out of a timeout huddle this season.
"They came out way more aggressive than I think we were expecting," said Bragg, a transfer from Division II Northern State. "The ball pressure early on was a little jarring, but we have six seniors on our team. We know how to perform."
GCU shot 33.3% against the No. 9 field goal percentage and scoring defense in the nation, but the Lopes drew free throws when their shots in half-court offense were not falling. Mann was 8 for 8 on free throws as part of her 12-point, five-rebound, four-assist, two-steal night. LaMendola finished with 13 points, six rebounds and four assists.
"It just came down to we had nothing to lose and everything to gain," LaMendola said. "We played them twice; got blown out. I was just out there playing for my seniors, and the toughest team wins. We were tough for 30 minutes of that game and had a couple of defensive breakdowns and some bad-timed mistakes. It costs us the game."
Ineza was the bench star, recording a plus-minus of plus-12 in a season-high 24 minutes. The 5-foot-11 guard from Rwanda posted eight points, five rebounds and two steals. Douglas (seven points) and Johnson (eight points) ended their collegiate careers contributing to a 21-3 advantage in bench scoring.
"I think the will of everybody shocked them," said Gandy, whose team delivered San Diego State's only regular-season MW loss this season. "We had gotten off to poor starts, and I thought we got off to a great start defensively. Great half. Got a little loose into the third. Started the fourth. I probably didn't do enough disrupting their rhythm.
Wright did not play 20 minutes in a game this season until she played more than that in each of the last three games. Wright and Moo started the Mountain West Championship games, with Wright averaging 8.5 points and Moo averaging 9.0 points and 11.5 rebounds.
"They had no expectations, and I think from my previous experiences, when you have no expectations, you typically don't have any pressure, and you're just playing," Gandy said. "It was really cool to just watch them just play. But when it comes to winning, which they realize, like, whether the score was 79-81, or in this case 59-61, you got to do what it takes to win.
"We're two or three stops away from being on the other side of the bracket with a different outlook. That's something obviously that's going to stick with us as we move on to the offseason."
After a video review confirmed that Bragg's shot was released in time, the GCU players and staff convened in a circle at the top of the key as Colorado State's celebration moved next to them. When the Lopes broke, LaMendola and other players acknowledged the Havocs who made the Sunday bus trip from Phoenix to Las Vegas to support them.
"Just to see that with their dedication with band and cheer and dance and the Havocs, I'd be scared as an opposing team going into our arena to play there," LaMendola said. "You can't ask for a better community, better administration, better coaching staff. We've been blessed with a lot as student-athletes, and to have that support all the time is something I would never take for granted. They're amazing. GCU is amazing. I'm very grateful to have that type of support. I know I can speak for our entire team when I say that. It means a lot."
Adding a seventh close loss cut deeper because the youthful Lopes flipped 14- and 17-point regular-season losses to Colorado State and led the Rams by 12 points in the third quarter Sunday night at Thomas & Mack Center.
Even after losing the lead, GCU tied the game with 2.2 seconds remaining before Colorado State 6-foot-3 senior Madelyn Bragg banked a long post-up at the buzzer to win 61-59 and end the Lopes' season."If nothing else, like I told them in there, 'Feel this,' " Lopes first-year head coach Winston Gandy said. "Use this experience as perspective, and you're going to be able to help the next group of people that come in here. We harp on some of the same things, and now you can maybe give them peer-to-peer or player-to-player as to why that's important. Credit to Colorado State. Good team, but we let one get away. Unfortunately, that's kind of been the story of our season."
After that 1-10 start against one of the nation's toughest nonconference schedules, GCU went 12-9 with five of those one- and two-point losses coming to Mountain West teams.
The Lopes looked like they might avoid that last-second fate Sunday against the conference's No. 3 seed and hottest team (seven consecutive wins). GCU's guards pressured the perimeter and its small-ball lineup, missing Anisa Jefferies and Casey Valenti-Paea, dominated the boards for a 11-0 advantage in second-chance points.
GCU leading scorers Julianna LaMendola and Chloe Mann only scored five points each in the first half, but the Lopes still took the lead in the second quarter with freshman power forward Norah Moo grabbing nine of her game-high 11 rebounds in the first half and reserves Ale'jah Douglas, Sifa Ineza and Karley Johnson combining for 17 points of the Lopes' 29-21 halftime lead.
Colorado State (25-7), which makes the fewest turnovers in the nation, committed 13 on Sunday and was shooting only 31% from the field when GCU led 40-28 with three minutes to go in the third quarter.
"The way they competed tonight, and they really pressured the ball," Colorado State head coach Ryun Williams said of how GCU looked different. "They got after the ball. They sped our guards up, especially early in that game. We just couldn't get into what we needed to get into. I credit their disruptiveness.
"Don't look at Grand Canyon's record. They have talented players. They're very, very good, and they're well-coached. We're not apologizing for this. This was a good win, because Grand Canyon is a really good basketball team."
When Mann delivered an inbound assist to LaMendola for a cutting score, GCU was on an 11-4 for its largest lead that enthused the hundreds of Havocs and band members who gave the Mountain West its firs taste of "Lopes Vegas."The lead dwindled until Colorado State took its first lead in 18 minutes of play with a score off a turnover that put the Rams ahead 52-51 with 3:23 to go.
"This whole year has been about putting four quarters together, and we came really close," Mann said. "But in the fourth quarter, we lost it. I feel like, a lot of times, just sticking with what you're doing is going to get you the win, and we didn't do that. We still played hard, as hard as we played all season."
Douglas and freshman Diamond Wright kept the Lopes tight down the stretch with clutch scores, and a driving 3-point play by Mann put Colorado State's lead at 58-57 with 41 seconds to go. A defensive stop with Moo's 11the rebound gave GCU possession with 11.6 seconds to go. Out of a timeout, Wright was isolated but her left-handed pivot shot in the lane missed, forcing the Lopes to foul.
But with the Rams only converting one of two free throws, GCU called timeout to move the ball to the frontcourt with 3.2 seconds to go and a 59-57 hole. Wright delivered a perfect pass over the defense, setting up LaMendola for a lay-in on the opposite side of the time that tied the game at 59-59 with 2.2 seconds to go, although a replay shows that more time should have come off the clock.
Colorado State also called timeout to advance the ball and cleared the middle to Bragg with a jump pass from Lexus Bargesser. Bragg used her left shoulder to get into her shot against Moo and banked it to cap a 25-point fourth quarter with a buzzer-beating win. Bargesser said it was the first time the Rams had run the play correctly out of a timeout huddle this season.
"They came out way more aggressive than I think we were expecting," said Bragg, a transfer from Division II Northern State. "The ball pressure early on was a little jarring, but we have six seniors on our team. We know how to perform."
GCU shot 33.3% against the No. 9 field goal percentage and scoring defense in the nation, but the Lopes drew free throws when their shots in half-court offense were not falling. Mann was 8 for 8 on free throws as part of her 12-point, five-rebound, four-assist, two-steal night. LaMendola finished with 13 points, six rebounds and four assists."It just came down to we had nothing to lose and everything to gain," LaMendola said. "We played them twice; got blown out. I was just out there playing for my seniors, and the toughest team wins. We were tough for 30 minutes of that game and had a couple of defensive breakdowns and some bad-timed mistakes. It costs us the game."
Ineza was the bench star, recording a plus-minus of plus-12 in a season-high 24 minutes. The 5-foot-11 guard from Rwanda posted eight points, five rebounds and two steals. Douglas (seven points) and Johnson (eight points) ended their collegiate careers contributing to a 21-3 advantage in bench scoring.
"I think the will of everybody shocked them," said Gandy, whose team delivered San Diego State's only regular-season MW loss this season. "We had gotten off to poor starts, and I thought we got off to a great start defensively. Great half. Got a little loose into the third. Started the fourth. I probably didn't do enough disrupting their rhythm.
Wright did not play 20 minutes in a game this season until she played more than that in each of the last three games. Wright and Moo started the Mountain West Championship games, with Wright averaging 8.5 points and Moo averaging 9.0 points and 11.5 rebounds.
"They had no expectations, and I think from my previous experiences, when you have no expectations, you typically don't have any pressure, and you're just playing," Gandy said. "It was really cool to just watch them just play. But when it comes to winning, which they realize, like, whether the score was 79-81, or in this case 59-61, you got to do what it takes to win.
"We're two or three stops away from being on the other side of the bracket with a different outlook. That's something obviously that's going to stick with us as we move on to the offseason."
After a video review confirmed that Bragg's shot was released in time, the GCU players and staff convened in a circle at the top of the key as Colorado State's celebration moved next to them. When the Lopes broke, LaMendola and other players acknowledged the Havocs who made the Sunday bus trip from Phoenix to Las Vegas to support them.
"Just to see that with their dedication with band and cheer and dance and the Havocs, I'd be scared as an opposing team going into our arena to play there," LaMendola said. "You can't ask for a better community, better administration, better coaching staff. We've been blessed with a lot as student-athletes, and to have that support all the time is something I would never take for granted. They're amazing. GCU is amazing. I'm very grateful to have that type of support. I know I can speak for our entire team when I say that. It means a lot."
Team Stats
GCU
CSU
FG%
.333
.413
3FG%
.200
.200
FT%
.826
.870
RB
36
29
TO
13
13
STL
6
3
Game Leaders
Pts
13
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
12
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
8
Pts
8
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
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