Broncos Out-Run, Out-Gun Idaho, 91-85

Friday, November 23

Long Beach, Calif.

6 PM MT

Boise State

4-1

Idaho

2-2

Idaho

Boise State

Photo by: Allison Corona

11/23/2018 9:49:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Postgame Notes Postgame Quotes

By: Courtesy: Boise State Athletics

LONG BEACH, Calif. - Ellie Woerner scored a career-high 23 points and hit a clutch 3-pointer with 1:16 to play which helped lift Boise State to a wild 91-85 victory over in-state rival Idaho Friday at the Beach Classic in Long Beach.

Twelve of her points came in the fourth quarter, highlighted by a deep ball from the right wing with 1:16 to play that gave the Broncos an 80-75 lead. After Jayde Christopher put the Broncos in front but missed a bonus free throw moments earlier, the Broncos forced a Vandal turnover on the rebound, and, out of a timeout, ran the next play to perfection as Woerner drained a wide-open triple.

"I trust my teammates, and they have confidence in me. Braydey [Hodgins] tells me all the time that I can knock down those shots and those are my shots, so really its props to my teammates for giving me that confidence," Woerner said about her late-game performance.

Boise State (4-1) recovered from a second quarter in which Idaho (2-2) outscored the Broncos, 30-20, to overcome a seven-point first-quarter deficit and take a 47-44 lead into the break. The Broncos had led by as many as 13 at 34-21 early in the second quarter but a stretch of 13-straight points helped the Vandals take control, led by Mikayla Ferentz' 28 first-half points.

Boise State came out tighter on defense in the second half, holding the Vandals to just 34.2 percent from the field and 4-for-15 from deep, after Idaho had hit 6-of-10 triples in the opening 20 minutes. Ferentz was kept in check, scoring just two points on 1-for-8 shooting in the second half.

"[Idaho] is a great team, and they present matchup problems. I thought our team did a great job coming out in the third quarter and holding them to 11 points after we got lit up in the second," said Boise State head coach Gordy Presnell. "Our competitive spirit was great. Defensively, I thought Marta was terrific, and offensively, Braydey came to play, and Ellie came to play. Ellie hit a gigantic shot, and Jayde Christopher was a tough guard."

The Broncos opened the second half with an 8-2 run thanks to 3-pointers from Riley Lupfer and A'Shanti Coleman, and neither team led by more than three until a jumper from Riley Lupfer with 8:29 left in the game gave Boise State a 64-60 lead. After Idaho tied things up at 68-68 on a jumper from Hailey Christopher, Woerner and Hodgins took over, combining to score 14 of Boise State's next 16 points. Woerner hits the first of her two triples in the frame with 3:57 to go, putting the Broncos up four at 74-70, but Idaho's Taylor Pierce answered by going 3-for-3 from the line after being fouled behind the arc. Another layup from Christopher gave Idaho a 75-74 lead with 2:59 to play, but that would be the last time the Vandals found themselves ahead.

Woerner hit a free throw to tie it just twelve seconds later, and Jayde Christopher followed by taking Gina Marxen to the rim and finishing through Marken's foul. Woerner's three-ball and a pair of free throws from Hodgins pushed the Bronco run to 8-0 and the lead to 82-75 before Idaho used desperation 3-pointers and a few Bronco misses at the line to twice get to within three points in the final 44 seconds. Hanging on to a slim 82-79 lead with 44 seconds to go, Woerner went 4-for-4 from the line over a 6-0 Bronco run, and the Boise State defense, with Marta Hermida doggedly staying step-for-step with Ferentz, forced a pair of misses that led to more free throws.

"We were really locked in for the second half and made adjustments that we needed to," Woerner said. "Idaho's a great team, so props to them, but we knew what adjustments we had to make and we were able to execute that in the second half."

After Hodgins hit a pair of free throws to make it 90-85, Woerner sealed the win, and her career night, by stealing Marxen's inbound pass.

"She's a pretty good athlete out at trail post on the perimeter, and that's what we use, that pick-and-pop. I'm really proud of her, she's kept her head in there and waited for her opportunity, and done a great job," Presnell said about Woerner's efforts.

Boise State will close out its weekend at the Beach Classic Saturday against Northern Iowa. The opening tip is set for 3 p.m. MT.