Quarterfinal set with Lopes, Rams at 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, March 8

Las Vegas, Nev.

7:30 p.m.

Grand Canyon

Colorado State

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Las Vegas, NV. : March 7, 2026: The Lopes win 58-75 against Utah State during the First Round of the Mountain West Tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center. David Kadlubowski/GCU

Photo by: David Kadlubowski

3/8/2026 1:07:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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GCU comes off 17-point victory in Saturday's 1st round in Las Vegas

By: Nick Macdonald

Less than 24 hours after its first Mountain West Championship victory in program history, Grand Canyon faces No. 3 seed Colorado State in a 7:30 p.m.Sunday quarterfinal at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

AT A GLANCE

GCU found its scoring prowess in the second half Saturday evening over No. 11 seed Utah State, totaling 44 second-half points with six players in double figures. It is the first time since Nov. 30, 2024, vs. East Texas A&M Commerce that six Lopes reached double-digit points in one game.
The Lopes held their opponent to fewer than 60 points for the fifth straight game. GCU has held the opposition to 61.3 points per game in 20 conference games, with that number moving to 50.8 over the last five contests.
GCU junior Julianna LaMendola notched her third double-double of the season Saturday night against Utah State, tallying 15 points and 13 rebounds. LaMendola earned All-Mountain West Team recognition Saturday with averages of 12.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game in conference action.
Ines Zounia earned Mountain West All-Freshman Team honors with averages of 8.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists in conference action.
The Lopes have pulled down 36 or more rebounds in each of their last five games, totaling double-figure offensive boards in four of those games, including a season-best tying 18 Saturday night versus Utah State. In games GCU has grabbed 41 rebounds, it is 8-1, while it is 5-1 in games it has 15 or more offensive boards.
In her third start of the season, freshman power forward Norah Moo totaled 12 points and 12 rebounds while shooting 83% from the floor for the first double-double of her career. Moo surpassed her season-best rebound mark and grabbed the most rebounds by a Lope freshman since Emma Krueger on Jan. 14, 2023.
The freshman trio of Diamond Wright, Zounia and Moo each scored in double figures in Saturday night's victory, becoming the first trio of freshmen to score in double digits in a Mountain West Championship game since Wyoming accomplished the feat in 2012.

THIS GAME

Coming off their first Mountain West Championship win, GCU faces No. 3 seed Colorado State on Sunday evening at Thomas & Mack Center.
CSU owns one of the best scoring defenses in the nation, allowing 55.0 points per game, while GCU is holding opponents to 50.8 points per game over its last five games.
Sunday's winner advances to the semifinal round to face the winner of No. 2 seed UNLV and No. 7 seed Fresno State at 7:30 p.m. Monday

SCOUTING COLORADO STATE

Colorado State owns the No. 3 seed in the Mountain West Championship, coming in with a 24-7 record and 13-3 mark in MW play.
The Rams defeated GCU twice this season, most recently on Jan. 21 in Fort Collins.
CSU is the nation's leader for fewest turnovers per game, averaging 10.3 per contest. Their defense also limits points, holding opponents to 55 points per game, ninth best in the nation.
Mountain West Newcomer of the Year Lexus Bargesser ranks top five in several MW catergories, incluidng second in field goal percentage (45.5%) and third in field goals (173), points (479) and points per game (15.5).
CSU shoots 42% from the field and 32% from 3-point range, compared to its opponents' clips of 35% and 29%, respectively. The Rams are one of the best free throw shooting teams in the nation at 76.6%, ranking 29th nationally and first in the MW.
Since a 64-61 loss at San Diego on Feb. 11, CSU has won every game by double figures.
The Rams are searching for their first win in the MW Championship since March 11, 2024. It fell to Fresno State last season as the No. 3 seed in the quarterfinal round.