Boise State
2-0
Portland State
0-2
Broncos Light Up Vikings From Downtown
11/16/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
BOISE, Idaho - Portland State was definitely not thinking, "This is fine" as Boise State women's basketball lit Taco Bell Arena aflame with a program-record 18 3-pointers in a 94-76 victory over the Vikings.
Senior Brooke Pahukoa hit seven 3-pointers, one shy of her career high, to finish the night with 25 points, and sophomore Marta Hermida hit six triples of her own to finish with a career-high 22 points as the Broncos (2-0) went 18-for-30 overall from behind the arc. Together, Pahukoa and Hermida combined to go 17-for-27 from the field and a scorching 13-for-18 from behind the arc. Pahukoa's seven triples also moved her into fourth place on Boise State's all-time 3-pointers made list with 154.
Six different Broncos hit a 3-pointer Wednesday night, with freshman Braydey Hodgins knocking down both of her attempts from downtown to lead the rest of the pack.
"Portland State's zone really collapsed on our high post, but as soon as we realized that, we could pass it back out and we have Riley, Yaiza, Marta who hit a couple. We have amazing shooters on this team and that's what we want to do," Pahukoa said.
Boise State hit nine 3-pointers in each half, but it was the team's 59.5-percent (22-for-37) shooting figure in the second half, compared to a 38.9-percent (14-for-36) effort in the opening 20 minutes, that allowed the Broncos to blow open a three-point game at halftime.
The Broncos were flame-throwing from the start, jumping out to an 18-5 lead within the opening 4:40 behind three triples from Hermida and one from Pahukoa. The hot start cooled off, however, as the Broncos just one more field goal, a Pahukoa 3-pointer, over the final 5:20. Portland State used four points from Ashley Torres to fuel a 9-3 run to end the frame down just seven at 21-14.
Hermida and Pahukoa each hit a pair of triples over the opening 3:25 of the second period, boosting the Bronco lead to 34-23, but again the Boise State hands cooled as the Broncos went scoreless over the next 4:58 as the Vikings pulled to within four at 34-30. Freshman Riley Lupfer broke the Bronco drought with a jumper with 1:52 remaining in the half to put the Broncos up six, but Portland State answered with a triple from Ashley Bolston, who finished the night with 18 points, and a layup from Sidney Rielly, who led the Vikings with 25 points on the night, to get to within a point at 36-35.
But that was as close as Portland State got in the contest, as Hermida hit a jumper with 11 seconds left in the half to give the Broncos a three-point lead at the break, followed on the other side of halftime by a 9-3 run that got the Boise State lead up to nine at 47-38.
Pahukoa helped the Broncos take control of the game late in the third, hitting three triples over a span of 1:59 to double a six-point Bronco lead into a comfortable 63-51 margin. Freshman Braydey Hodgins hit a trey of her own to push the lead to 17 early in the fourth quarter and the margin got all the way to 20 with 7:38 remaining as Hermida laid one in to make it 75-55.
Boise State's defense also tightened up as the game went along, forcing 29 Portland State turnovers and out-rebounding the Vikings by a 32-30 margin.
"I've said this from the very beginning of the year with this team, it is the best chemistry we've had on and off the court, the best group of girls collectively that I've ever played with," Pahukoa said.
