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Lupfer Named Preseason MW Player Of The Year; Broncos Tabbed To Defend Crown
11/1/2018 3:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
BOISE, Idaho -Â Boise State was acknowledged as the clear leader of the Mountain West pack Thursday, earning 19 of 23 first-place votes and being tabbed as the preseason favorite to defend its regular-season title in 2018-19. Additionally, the Broncos took home much of the individual preseason honors, highlighted by junior guard Riley Lupfer being voted Preseason Mountain West Player of the Year, freshman guard Jade Loville being named Preseason Freshman of the Year, and senior guard Marta Hermida joining Lupfer on the five-player Preseason All-Mountain West Team.
The announcement underscores Boise State's rise to the top of the Mountain West since joining the conference in 2011-12. It is the second-straight preseason in which the Broncos have been tabbed the conference favorite, and the fifth in a row in which the program has landed at least one player to the Preseason All-Mountain West Team. Boise StateÂ
Additionally, Lupfer's (player of the year) and Loville's (freshman of the year) respective individual honors mark the first in the program's Mountain West history. Boise State has previously had a player named Mountain West Newcomer of the Year (Camille Redmon, 2014-15). Lupfer's selection as preseason conference player of the year makes her the first Bronco so honored since Jessica Thompson and Tasha Harris were named Preseason WAC Player of the Year back-to-back ahead of the 2007-08 and 2008-09 campaigns, respectively.
Coming off of a 2017-18 season in which they went 23-10 (14-4 MW), captured the Mountain West double (regular season and tournament titles), and made the NCAA Tournament for the third time in four years, the Broncos, which return four starters and nine letterwinners in 2018-19, topped the preseason poll with 229 points in addition to the aforementioned 19 first-place votes. UNLV was second at 208 points and received the remaining four first-place votes, with Fresno State (175 points), Wyoming (158), New Mexico (150), and Colorado State (128) rounding out the top six. Nevada (115 points), Utah State (86), San Diego State (64), Air Force (57), and San Jose State (27) made up the rest of the field.
Lupfer is coming off of a breakout 2017-18 campaign in which she led the team with 16.2 points per game and set the Boise State and Mountain West single-season records with 122 3-pointers made. The Spokane, Wash., native was thrice named Mountain West Player of the Week last season, and recorded four games with at least seven 3-pointers made. She went on to be voted the Most Outstanding Player of the Mountain West Tournament after averaging 16.7 points and shooting 44.4 percent (12-for-27) from 3-point range over Boise State's 3-0 run.
Loville will make her Boise State debut this season after a decorated prep career at Skyline High School in Sammamish, Wash. Loville was named to the All-USA TODAY Washington Girls Team and Associated Press All-State (Wash.) 4A Honorable Mention following a 2017-18 senior campaign in which she averaged 37.1 points and 8.8 rebounds per game and shot 45 percent from the field. She also earned a spot on the All-KingCo 4A First Team, and for her career was a four-time All-KingCo 4A selection, being twice named to the Second Team (as a freshman and sophomore), before earning her first-team selections following her junior and senior seasons.
Hermida began her junior year off of a gold-medal performance with Spain's U20 National Team at the 2017 FIBA U20 European Women's Championship, and went on to average 10.8 points (second on the team) and a team-leading 4.70 assists per game for Boise State. The Madrid native posted the second triple-double in Boise State women's basketball history with 22 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists against Corban on Nov. 26, 2017, and was a key contributor to the Broncos' successful Mountain West Tournament run, averaging 12.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.33 assists while shooting 43.6 percent from the floor over the three wins.
Following this Friday night's 7 p.m. exhibition against Concordia at Taco Bell Arena, the Broncos open the 2018-19 regular season next Thursday, Nov. 8, hosting defending Big West champion and NCAA Tournament participant CSUN (Cal State Northridge) at 5 p.m. The non-conference home slate also includes a key matchup Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. against 2018 Final Four participant Louisville, in a rematch of last season's NCAA Tournament First Round, in which the Cardinals defeated the Broncos, 74-42, on March 16 in Louisville.
2018-19 Mountain West Women's Basketball Predicted Order Of Finish (First-Place Votes)
1. Boise State (19) - 229 points
2. UNLV (4) - 208
3. Fresno State - 175
4. Wyoming - 158
5. New Mexico - 150
6. Colorado State - 128
7. Nevada - 115
8. Utah State - 86
9. San Diego State - 64
10. Air Force - 57
11. San Jose State - 27
2018-19 Preseason All-Mountain West Team
Riley Lupfer; G, Jr. - Boise State
Marta Hermida; G, Sr. - Boise State
Candice White; G, Sr. - Fresno State
Jaisa Nunn; C, Sr. - New Mexico
Katie Powell; F/C, Sr. - UNLV
2018-19 Preseason Mountain West Player of the Year
Riley Lupfer; G, Jr. - Boise State
2018-19 Preseason Mountain West Freshman of the Year
Jade Loville; G - Boise State
2018-19 Preseason Mountain West Newcomer of the Year
Mollie Mounsey; G, Jr. - Colorado State
The announcement underscores Boise State's rise to the top of the Mountain West since joining the conference in 2011-12. It is the second-straight preseason in which the Broncos have been tabbed the conference favorite, and the fifth in a row in which the program has landed at least one player to the Preseason All-Mountain West Team. Boise StateÂ
Additionally, Lupfer's (player of the year) and Loville's (freshman of the year) respective individual honors mark the first in the program's Mountain West history. Boise State has previously had a player named Mountain West Newcomer of the Year (Camille Redmon, 2014-15). Lupfer's selection as preseason conference player of the year makes her the first Bronco so honored since Jessica Thompson and Tasha Harris were named Preseason WAC Player of the Year back-to-back ahead of the 2007-08 and 2008-09 campaigns, respectively.
Coming off of a 2017-18 season in which they went 23-10 (14-4 MW), captured the Mountain West double (regular season and tournament titles), and made the NCAA Tournament for the third time in four years, the Broncos, which return four starters and nine letterwinners in 2018-19, topped the preseason poll with 229 points in addition to the aforementioned 19 first-place votes. UNLV was second at 208 points and received the remaining four first-place votes, with Fresno State (175 points), Wyoming (158), New Mexico (150), and Colorado State (128) rounding out the top six. Nevada (115 points), Utah State (86), San Diego State (64), Air Force (57), and San Jose State (27) made up the rest of the field.
Lupfer is coming off of a breakout 2017-18 campaign in which she led the team with 16.2 points per game and set the Boise State and Mountain West single-season records with 122 3-pointers made. The Spokane, Wash., native was thrice named Mountain West Player of the Week last season, and recorded four games with at least seven 3-pointers made. She went on to be voted the Most Outstanding Player of the Mountain West Tournament after averaging 16.7 points and shooting 44.4 percent (12-for-27) from 3-point range over Boise State's 3-0 run.
Loville will make her Boise State debut this season after a decorated prep career at Skyline High School in Sammamish, Wash. Loville was named to the All-USA TODAY Washington Girls Team and Associated Press All-State (Wash.) 4A Honorable Mention following a 2017-18 senior campaign in which she averaged 37.1 points and 8.8 rebounds per game and shot 45 percent from the field. She also earned a spot on the All-KingCo 4A First Team, and for her career was a four-time All-KingCo 4A selection, being twice named to the Second Team (as a freshman and sophomore), before earning her first-team selections following her junior and senior seasons.
Hermida began her junior year off of a gold-medal performance with Spain's U20 National Team at the 2017 FIBA U20 European Women's Championship, and went on to average 10.8 points (second on the team) and a team-leading 4.70 assists per game for Boise State. The Madrid native posted the second triple-double in Boise State women's basketb
Following this Friday night's 7 p.m. exhibition against Concordia at Taco Bell Arena, the Broncos open the 2018-19 regular season next Thursday, Nov. 8, hosting defending Big West champion and NCAA Tournament participant CSUN (Cal State Northridge) at 5 p.m. The non-conference home slate also includes a key matchup Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. against 2018 Final Four participant Louisville, in a rematch of last season's NCAA Tournament First Round, in which the Cardinals defeated the Broncos, 74-42, on March 16 in Louisville.
2018-19 Mountain West Women's Basketball Predicted Order Of Finish (First-Place Votes)
1. Boise State (19) - 229 points
2. UNLV (4) - 208
3. Fresno State - 175
4. Wyoming - 158
5. New Mexico - 150
6. Colorado State - 128
7. Nevada - 115
8. Utah State - 86
9. San Diego State - 64
10. Air Force - 57
11. San Jose State - 27
2018-19 Preseason All-Mountain West Team
Riley Lupfer; G, Jr. - Boise State
Marta Hermida; G, Sr. - Boise State
Candice White; G, Sr. - Fresno State
Jaisa Nunn; C, Sr. - New Mexico
Katie Powell; F/C, Sr. - UNLV
2018-19 Preseason Mountain West Player of the Year
Riley Lupfer; G, Jr. - Boise State
2018-19 Preseason Mountain West Freshman of the Year
Jade Loville; G - Boise State
2018-19 Preseason Mountain West Newcomer of the Year
Mollie Mounsey; G, Jr. - Colorado State
Players Mentioned
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