Broncos Eye 3-0 Start As SJSU Comes To Town

Boise State (11-2, 2-0 MW) vs. San Jose State (1-12, 0-2 MW)
Saturday, Jan. 12 • 1 p.m. MT
Boise, Idaho • Taco Bell Arena
Series: Boise State leads, 20-11
Last Meeting: Boise State 112, San Jose State 80 - San Jose, Calif.
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BOISE, Idaho - Boise State goes for its first 3-0 start to Mountain West play, and first in a conference slate since 2006-07, Saturday when it hosts San José State for a 1 p.m. tip.

LAST TIME OUT
For the third-straight season, Boise State opened Mountain West play 2-0 as the Broncos defeated San Diego State, 69-66, last Saturday at Viejas Arena.

A'Shanti Coleman led all players with 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting, while Riley Lupfer and Braydey Hodgins added 17 points apiece. Point guard Jayde Christopher passed out nine assists, with five of those contributing to Coleman buckets.

The Broncos led by as many as 13 points early in the fourth quarter before the Aztecs began chipping away, eventually getting to within a point at 60-59 with 3:54 remaining. However, Hodgins would score seven of Boise State's last nine points, all from the line, to hold off the comeback.

WHO'S NEXT
San José State (1-12, 0-2 MW) comes into Taco Bell Arena on a nine-game losing streak, although two of its last three setbacks have come by three points apiece.

The Spartans dropped their conference home opener to Nevada, 52-49, Wednesday, as a last-second game-tying 3-pointer was off the mark.

San José State is led by the play of Cydni Lewis, who paces the Spartans in scoring (9.9 ppg) and rebounding (5.2 rpg), while Fieme'a Hafoka is right behind Lewis at 9.8 points per game.

LAST YEAR'S MEETINGS
Boise State put in a record-setting performance in their only meeting with the Spartans a season ago, setting the program mark for scoring in a conference game in the 112-80 victory in San Jose.

Riley Lupfer went for a game-high 27 points, going 10-for-13 from the field and 7-for-10 from behind the arc. Six Broncos scored in double figures, while Marta Hermida set the program single-game record with 14 assists and came up just two rebounds shy of a triple-double, finishing with 16 points, 14 assists, and eight rebounds.

For the game, Boise State, which dropped 35 points in the first quarter, shot 54.9 percent (41-for-70) and went 14-for-22 (63.6 percent) from 3-point range.

FAMILIAR FACE ON THE OTHER BENCH
Saturday will be a reunion between the opposing head coaches as Boise State boss Gordy Presnell faces off against one of his former assistants from his time at Seattle Pacific in San José State head coach Jamie Craighead.

Craighead was an assistant for Presnell's final three seasons at Seattle Pacific (2002-05), helping guide SPU to the NCAA Division II national title game in 2005. She is currently one of three former Presnell assistants serving as a Division I head coach (JR Payne, Colorado; Lynne Roberts, Utah).

WIN 650 FOR PRESNELL
Jan. 5's 69-66 victory at San Diego State was a milestone one for Boise State head coach Gordy Presnell, marking the 650th win of his illustrious career. Hitting the 650-win mark made Presnell the 16th active Division I women's basketball head coach, and the 24th active NCAA (all levels) women's basketball coach to do so.

Following the win at San Diego State, Presnell, in his 32nd season as a head coach, owns an overall record of 650-296. He is 254-169 at Boise State, now in his 14th season at the Bronco helm (2005-Present), and went 396-127 in 18 seasons at Seattle Pacific (1987-2005).

GOING FOR FIRST 3-0 MW START
Boise State has a chance at a program first Saturday, as a win would secure the program's first 3-0 start to Mountain West play since joining the conference in 2011-12.

The Broncos have started Mountain West play 2-0 five times in eight seasons in the conference. A 3-0 start would also mark the program's first such opening to a conference season since the 2006-07 WAC slate.

RUNNING UP A STREAK
Jan. 5's win at San Diego State brought Boise State's winning streak against Mountain West teams to 12, matching the program best. The Broncos won their last seven regular-season games last season, then three Mountain West Tournament games, with the first two conference wins of this season making 12. That matches the feat over the end of the 2016-17 season and first two games of last year.

A win Saturday over San José State would give the Broncos 13-straight over Mountain West competition. Boise State's longest winning streak over conference foes is 15, achieved against WAC opposition in 2007-08 (final 14 regular-season games plus one WAC Tournament contest).

CONDUCTING THE SYMPHONY
Redshirt junior point guard Jayde Christopher has helped bring a must-see entertainment factor to the Bronco offense, as she has dished out 15 assists, many of them highlight reel-worthy, over Boise State's 2-0 start to Mountain West play.

Five of Christopher's nine assists in the win at San Diego State went to A'Shanti Coleman, who finished the game with 22 points on 9-for-13 shooting, with a pair of them coming on a no-look pass and a through-the-legs bounce pass.

This season, Christopher leads the Broncos and is second in the Mountain West with 75 assists. At 5.77 assists per game, Christopher is on the heels of Yaiza Rodriguez' (2013-17) single-season record total of 192 (5.81 apg) in 2016-17.

HODGINS ENJOYING CAREER YEAR
Junior guard Braydey Hodgins scored 17 points in Jan. 5's win over San Diego State, with seven of those points coming from the line over the final three minutes to help ice it for the Broncos.

Over the opening week of Mountain West play, Hodgins averaged 12.5 points and 6.5 rebounds, while posting a line of 17 points, five boards, and five assists in San Diego. On the year, Hodgins is enjoying a breakout season, second on the team in scoring (10.9 ppg), grabbing 3.8 rebounds a game, and hitting 3-pointers at a team-best 44.3-percent clip.

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Players Mentioned

Jayde Christopher

A'Shanti Coleman

Marta Hermida

Braydey Hodgins

Riley Lupfer

Yaiza Rodriguez

Boise State Athletics