WBB Preview: Utah State Squares Off With Grand Canyon

The Lopes are 9-17 (8-8). They are on a three-game losing streak of their own. They are guaranteed to finish the season with a losing record this year and are right on the .500 mark in conference play. Grand Canyon could be vulnerable, but the Aggies need to overcome a lot to prove it, including two monumental afflictions that have plagued the team all year.

The first is the severe and persistent bout of injuries, and the second is the travel woes the Aggies have faced. 

For the second game in a row, Aaliyah Gayles will be sidelined with a concussion. She'll be on the bench alongside co-stars Marina Asensio and Sophie Sene, who have both been ruled out for the season. This leaves Jamisyn Heaton, with a mask still covering her broken nose, as the team’s leading scorer.

Heaton is more than capable of carrying that mantle, but that’s not the point. The point is that Utah State is missing its top three leading scorers and top two leaders in rebounds, assists and steals. Heaton’s 8.3 points per game go a lot further when they’re combined with 9.2 from Sene, 10.8 from Asensio, and 11.8 from Gayles. 

Teams just aren’t built to withstand that type of attrition. Especially in conference play where they go up against a group of their peers. Behind Heaton are Karyn Sanford and Elise Livingston as the team’s second and third leading scorers. They are collecting 8 and 7.2 points per game, respectively. Heaton, the team’s number one option today, should, in theory, be the team’s fourth leading scorer. Instead, that spot will be filled by Rachel Wilson, who averages 4.4 per outing.

The Global Credit Union Arena has already developed a reputation as a strong home venue, and the Lopes have played better there than on the road. GCU enjoys a 5-7 record at home compared to 4-8 away from home. It’s not the most stark home/away split, and it’s not impossible for visitors to win there, but Utah State’s trouble on the road makes it look like a very daunting venue.

The Aggies have only picked up one win on the road, a 68-65 win over CSUB in their second game of the season, and have amassed a 1-12 record away from the Spectrum. The Aggies missed their best chance to break through that barrier earlier this week when a comeback bid at San Jose State came up short. Now the Aggies have to try to figure out whatever it is that holds them back on the road against a much tougher team than a Spartan team that now has just four wins on the season.

On GCU’s side, Chloe Mann, Julianna LaMendola, Anisa Jeffries, Casey Valenti-Paea, Ale'jah Douglas and Ines Zounia could all pose a threat to the Aggies. Mann and LaMendola were relatively quiet in Logan. Jeffries and Valenti-Paea were not. 

Mann averages 13.1 points, three rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.1 steals per game. In Logan, she was held to just five shot attempts and did most of her work at the line. She had 10 points, three rebounds, four assists and a steal with three turnovers. LaMendola averages 11.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists. She was solid against the Aggies but her scoring was held in check as she went for eight points, six rebounds and four assists.

Unlike Mann and Lamendola, plenty of Lopes overperformed against the Aggies. One such player was Douglas, who had 11 points, three rebounds and an assist, compared to her averages of 7.2 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists.

The star of the show was Valenti-Paea, who played 25 minutes and collected 16 points, seven rebounds, an assist, two steals and a block without recording a personal foul. She vastly outperformed her season averages of 4.7 points, two rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game. Both her points and rebounds were season highs. Her seven rebounds still stand as her best performance this year, and her 16 points did as well until recently.

Valenti-Paea is coming off a fresh season-high 18-point game against New Mexico with three rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block. The game before that, she had nine points, a rebound and four assists. Compared to the zero points, two rebounds, zero assists, zero steals, zero blocks and a turnover she recorded in the contest before facing the Aggies last time, Valenti-Paea has a ton of momentum. 

In the four games before dominating the Aggies, she was shut out three times and combined for just two points, five rebounds, three assists, three steals and zero blocks. She is, maybe thanks to Utah State, an entirely different player now. Including that game against the Aggies, she’s averaging 9.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in her last six.

Jeffries came off the bench and also overperformed, although less drastically. She’s been a reliable contributor for the Lopes, and her performance against the Aggies wasn’t quite as cruel as Valenti-Paea’s. Jeffries popped off with 14 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block. She is currently averaging 8.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists.

But, she's trending in the opposite direction from Valenti-Paea. Jeffries capped a string of eight double-digit scoring games out of 10, including three in a row with her 14 points against Utah State. She was shut out against Wyoming in her very next contest, and her high since then is eight points again against San Diego State. While Valenti-Paea looks to continue her trend, Jeffries is looking to buck hers and get back on track.

In those five players, the Lopes have plenty of star power, and they have players who seem to perform well against the Aggies. But given the breakout performances of Valenti-Paea, Douglas and Jeffries, it could be anyone who steps up for GCU on Saturday afternoon.