Photo by: Boise State Photo Services
Broncos To Take On Idaho, Northern Iowa At Beach Classic
8/16/2018 3:49:00 PM | Women's Basketball
BOISE, Idaho -Â Boise State women's basketball, winners of the Mountain West double as regular-season and tournament champions in 2017-18, edged closer to completing its 2018-19 slate Thursday as it learned that it will take on in-state rival Idaho and Northern Iowa at the Beach Classic in Long Beach from Nov. 23-24.
The Broncos will open the event Friday night, Nov. 23, against Idaho at 8 p.m. MT (7 p.m. local). The meeting will be the first between the programs since the 2011 WAC Tournament in Las Vegas, where the Vandals captured a 70-59 victory. This season's meeting in Long Beach will be the 69th all-time, with Boise State holding a 37-31 advantage in the series between the rivals.
It will be a quick turnaround for the Broncos as they'll face Northern Iowa Saturday, Nov. 24, at 3 p.m. MT (2 p.m. local). The contest will be the first between the Broncos and Panthers.
Both programs finished the 2017-18 at 19-14 and reached the postseason, each bowing out of the WNIT in the first round. Idaho, which finished second in the Big Sky with a 13-5 mark, advanced to the Big Sky Tournament title game, where it fell to Northern Colorado, 91-69, before taking an 82-62 loss at UC Davis in the WNIT. Northern Iowa, which registered regular-season victories over Wyoming, Iowa State, and Kansas State, while going 13-5 for a third-place finish in the Missouri Valley Conference, also reached its conference tournament final, where it fell, 75-63, to Drake. The Panthers would then drop an 81-67 decision to Milwaukee in the first round of the WNIT.
In 2018-19, the Broncos return four starters from a team that went 23-10 overall, 14-4 in Mountain West play, and made its third NCAA Tournament appearance in four years last season. Among the Bronco returners are rising junior guard Riley Lupfer, an All-Mountain West Team selection and the Mountain West Tournament MVP, who set the Boise State and Mountain West single-season records with 122 3-pointers made last season. Lupfer also led the Broncos with 16.2 points per game while shooting 46.5 percent from the field, 45.2 percent from 3-point range, and 92.7 percent from the line. She's joined by fellow All-Mountain West selection Marta Hermida, a rising senior guard who averaged 10.8 points per game and led the Broncos in assists (155) and was second in steals (35) in 2017-18.
The Broncos' 2018-19 schedule includes a nonconference home game against 2018 Final Four participant Louisville on Nov. 19, in addition to road trips to Washington State (Dec. 1) and to Washington for a holiday tournament from Dec. 15-16. Boise State will begin defense of its regular-season Mountain West title Jan. 2 at Taco Bell Arena against Wyoming.
The Broncos will open the event Friday night, Nov. 23, against Idaho at 8 p.m. MT (7 p.m. local). The meeting will be the first between the programs since the 2011 WAC Tournament in Las Vegas, where the Vandals captured a 70-59 victory. This season's meeting in Long Beach will be the 69th all-time, with Boise State holding a 37-31 advantage in the series between the rivals.
It will be a quick turnaround for the Broncos as they'll face Northern Iowa Saturday, Nov. 24, at 3 p.m. MT (2 p.m. local). The contest will be the first between the Broncos and Panthers.
Both programs finished the 2017-18 at 19-14 and reached the postseason, each bowing out of the WNIT in the first round. Idaho, which finished second in the Big Sky with a 13-5 mark, advanced to the Big Sky Tournament title game, where it fell to Northern Colorado, 91-69, before taking an 82-62 loss at UC Davis in the WNIT. Northern Iowa, which registered regular-season victories over Wyoming, Iowa State, and Kansas State, while going 13-5 for a third-place finish in the Missouri Valley Conference, also reached its conference tournament final, where it fell, 75-63, to Drake. The Panthers would then drop an 81-67 decision to Milwaukee in the first round of the WNIT.
In 2018-19, the Broncos return four starters from a team that went 23-10 overall, 14-4 in Mountain West play, and made its third NCAA Tournament appearance in four years last season. Among the Bronco returners are rising junior guard Riley Lupfer, an All-Mountain West Team selection and the Mountain West Tournament MVP, who set the Boise State and Mountain West single-season records with 122 3-pointers made last season. Lupfer also led the Broncos with 16.2 points per game while shooting 46.5 percent from the field, 45.2 percent from 3-point range, and 92.7 percent from the line. She's joined by fellow All-Mountain West selection Marta Hermida, a rising senior guard who averaged 10.8 points per game and led the Broncos in assists (155) and was second in steals (35) in 2017-18.
The Broncos' 2018-19 schedule includes a nonconference home game against 2018 Final Four participant Louisville on Nov. 19, in addition to road trips to Washington State (Dec. 1) and to Washington for a holiday tournament from Dec. 15-16. Boise State will begin defense of its regular-season Mountain West title Jan. 2 at Taco Bell Arena against Wyoming.
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