#image_title
0
0
Grand Canyon’s (GCU) women’s team has quietly turned a 1–9 stumble into one of the Mountain West’s most intriguing mid‑season storylines, climbing to 9–14 and sixth in the league behind a fast‑maturing core under first‑year head coach Winston Gandy.
From 1–9 to a dangerous spoiler
GCU bottomed out at 1–9 in mid‑December, a record that came against what the program called the nation’s 15th‑hardest non‑conference schedule.
Since then, the Lopes have turned it around, standing 9–14 overall and 8–5 in Mountain West play, positioning themselves firmly in the middle of the pack and within striking distance of the league’s top tier.
They have done it with incremental offensive growth – now averaging 65.2 points per game – and a defense that holds opponents to 67.2 points and similar shooting percentages across the board.
Gandy’s imprint takes shape at GCU
Gandy arrived last spring from South Carolina, where he was part of Dawn Staley’s 2024 national championship staff, bringing high‑major defensive standards and a player‑development background that is already showing in Phoenix.
His first season opened under a compressed timeline, from assembling a staff to learning a mostly inherited roster, but the Lopes’ January surge suggests the group has settled into his tempo‑heavy, guard‑driven style.
GCU’s overall efficiency has climbed as rotation roles have clarified, and the Lopes now look more like a team built to grind through conference play than one overwhelmed by its early schedule.
Mann and Lamendola set the tone
Junior guard Chloe Mann has emerged as the offensive bellwether, leading GCU with 13.3 points in 30.5 minutes per game while shooting 37.8 percent from the field and an elite 85.6 percent at the line. She has become the late‑clock option Gandy leans on, balanced by fellow starter Julianna Lamendola, who adds 10.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per night with a team‑best 31 made threes.
Together, they form one of the more productive backcourts in the conference, combining for 23.7 points and 13 rebounds per game and stabilizing the Lopes in close fourth quarters that slipped away back in November.
GCU depth pieces finding their lanes
Behind the headline guards, GCU’s supporting cast has grown into specialized roles that give the Lopes multiple ways to win games.
Versatile wing Anisa Jeffries provides 8.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per game on an efficient 46.4 percent shooting, often functioning as a pressure‑release scorer in the mid‑range.
Ale’jah Douglas has become the microwave off the bench at 7.8 points per game with 24 made threes, while sharpshooter Ines Zounia adds 6.6 points and hits 34.7 percent from deep, stretching defenses that load up on Mann and Lamendola.
In the frontcourt, Norah Moo has quietly posted one of the best efficiency lines on the roster, averaging 3.6 points and 3.0 rebounds in just 12 minutes per game while shooting 55.9 percent from the floor.
Karley Johnson chips in 3.8 points and 3.2 boards, and physical reserve Favor Ayodele provides nearly four rebounds a game, giving GCU just enough size and physicality to compete with the league’s traditional powers on the glass.
Freshman and role players like Sifa Ineza, Faith Carson, Diamond Wright, Holly Griffiths, and Kaitlyn Elsholz have all logged rotation minutes, combining for more than 12 points and 11 rebounds per contest and allowing Gandy to mix lineups based on matchups.
Path forward in the Mountain West
Statistically, GCU sits almost dead even with its opponents: 65.2 points scored to 67.2 allowed, 40.3 percent shooting to 43.3 for foes, and a slim plus‑0.3 edge on the glass.
Those numbers underscore a team that has to win on attention to detail – valuing possessions, finishing defensive stands and squeezing extra points at the foul line, where the Lopes shoot 75.5 percent as a group.
If the January trend holds, GCU profiles as a dangerous spoiler in March, a sixth‑place team that no top seed will want to see in the Mountain West bracket, given its battle scars from that brutal 1–9 start.
About the Author
