Boise State women punch first semifinal ticket in Mountain West Tournament since 2021
Boise State women’s basketball coach Gordy Presnell said the theme the past two weeks for his team has been embracing hard things.
That’s exactly what the Broncos did Monday in a 62-54 upset of No. 3 Wyoming in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Tournament in Las Vegas, which features the 5, 6 and 7 seeds in the semifinals along with top seed UNLV.
“There’s going to be hard things that happen,” Presnell told reporters after the game. “You have to embrace it and not back down from it.”
Things looked bleak for the sixth-seeded Broncos, who trailed by three points with five minutes left to play, but they responded. Boise State scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter and ended the game on a 15-4 run.
The Broncos (21-12, 10-8 Mountain West) advanced to the semifinals for the first time since 2021. They’ll face No. 7 seed San Diego State (21-12, 10-8) on Tuesday night after the Aztecs knocked off No. 2 New Mexico 67-56 on Monday.
“That’s March for you,” Boise State’s Mya Hansen told reporters after the game. “Anytime you can step on that court and be in a tournament game, we’ll always take advantage of that opportunity.”
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Hansen led Boise State with 20 points, 10 of which she scored in the first quarter. The sophomore has scored at least 20 points in a game twice this season, including a season-high 26 points in a 67-66 loss to Air Force on March 2.
“She hit some big shots, and then we ran some high pick and rolls,” Presnell said. “She hit some big shots out of that early in the first quarter, and then when we were kind of going south offensively and struggling to score, she hit big shots at that time, too.”
Natalie Pascoe added 10 points for the Broncos, while Abby Muse chipped in with eight points and five rebounds. Muse posted the third triple-double in program history Sunday in Boise State’s opening-round win over Utah State.
The Broncos had a hard time slowing Wyoming’s Allyson Fertig down Monday. She flirted with a triple-double of her own, finishing the game with 16 points, nine rebounds and seven blocks.
The team embraced the challenge of taking on one of the conference’s top players, Hansen said. Fertig ranks No. 8 in the Mountain West at 13.6 points a game.
“She’s a great player. We all know that,” Hansen said. “She can score at all levels with the ball right now.”
The Broncos expect to be challenged again Tuesday night against the Aztecs. Boise State and San Diego State split games this season, with the Broncos winning 68-59 at ExtraMile Arena and losing 79-64 in San Diego.
“Everybody on the floor with them can score and can handle the ball, and they’re kind of ballers,” Presnell said. “It will be a difficult challenge for us.”
The Aztecs are led by Adryana Quezada, who ranks No. 7 in the conference in scoring (13.8). She’s one of four San Diego State players averaging more than 10 points a game this season.
Mountain West women’s tournament
FIRST ROUND
Sunday
No. 9 Fresno State 62, No. 8 Air Force 44
No. 7 San Diego State 72, No. 10 San Jose State 51
No. 6 Boise State 85, No. 11 Utah State 49
QUARTERFINALS
Monday
No. 1 UNLV 83, No. 9 Fresno State 35
No. 5 Colorado State 65, No. 4 Nevada 54
No. 7 San Diego State 67, No. 2 New Mexico 56
No. 6 Boise State 62, No. 3 Wyoming 54
SEMIFINALS
Tuesday
No. 1 UNLV vs. No. 5 Colorado State, 6 p.m., Mountain West Network
No. 6 Boise State vs. No. 7 San Diego State, 8:30, Mountain West Network
