Friday, November 15
Birmingham, Ala.
3:00 PM MT
Boise State
at
UAB
Broncos Wrap Preseason WNIT At UAB
11/14/2019 11:10:00 AM | Women's Basketball
2019 Preseason WNIT Consolation
Boise State (2-1) at UAB (1-1)
Friday, Nov. 15, 2019 - 3 p.m. MT
Birmingham, Ala. - Bartow Arena
Series: First Meeting
Series: First Meeting
BOISE, Idaho - Boise State wraps up play in the Preseason WNIT Friday, visiting UAB for a consolation game. The Broncos then head into a week of big games, beginning Wednesday, Nov. 20, at ExtraMile Arena against Washington State (5 p.m.), and concluding with a trip to No. 9 Louisville for an 11 a.m. MT tip Sunday, Nov. 24.
LAST TIME OUT
Boise State was eliminated from the winner's bracket of the Preseason WNIT last Sunday with a 72-69 loss to Missouri State.
Riley Lupfer hit a 3-pointer with 12 seconds to play to bring the Broncos within a point, but, after a pair of free throws from Missouri State, had her potential buzzer beater rim out.
Lupfer hit five 3-pointers and scored 18 points in the contest, while redshirt junior center Mallory McGwire had the best game of her early Bronco career, posting a double-double that featured career highs of 19 points (on 9-of-16 shooting) and 17 rebounds.
WHO'S NEXT
UAB (1-1) hosts the Broncos for Friday's consolation game after also splitting its first two tournament games. The Blazers defeated South Alabama, 77-61, Nov. 8, before falling at Oklahoma, 82-75.
Miyah Barnes leads the Blazers with 18.0 points and 5.50 assists per game, and is shooting 51.7 percent early on this season. Angela Verdell provides the work in the paint, grabbing 26 rebounds over the first two contests.
The Blazers went 26-7 a season ago and advanced to the seocnd round of the Postseason WNIT, defeating Troy, 93-89, before dropping a 100-52 decision at Arkansas.
SERIES HISTORY
Friday will mark the first meeting between Boise State and UAB.
It is just the second game against a C-USA school for the Broncos, who previously defeated Charlotte, 68-65, Nov. 26, 2016, at the Concord Thanksgiving Classic in Moraga, Calif.
LUPFER APPROACHES CAREER 3s MARK
Senior guard Riley Lupfer entered this season just 15 3-pointers away from Abby Vaughan's (1999-2003) Boise State career record of 260, and could very well become Boise State's all-time leader Friday at UAB.
After hitting 12 triples over this season's first three games, Lupfer heads into Friday with 257 for her career, just four away from eclipsing Vaughan.
WHO'S BACK OF THE WEEK: RILEY LUPFER
Riley Lupfer followed up her performance of six 3-pointers last Friday against Portland State with five more Sunday against Missouri State. With 12 in the season's first week, it's an encouraging start to what many hope is a "bounce back" season of sorts for the Spokane, Wash., native.
After setting a program and Mountain West single-season record with 122 triples as a sophomore in 2017-18, Lupfer dipped to 67 last year at a career-low 32.5-percent clip.
This season, she's 12-for-29 (41.4 percent) from deep and shooting 48.5 percent from the floor while averaging 15.7 points a game.
MCGWIRE FINDING THE GROOVE
Redshirt junior center Mallory McGwire put in the best performance of her so-far short Bronco career Sunday against Missouri State, posting a double-double which featured career highs in points (19) and rebounds (17).
McGwire went 9-for-16 from the field, showing her range as she consistently hit midrange jumper and even went 1-for-3 from 3-point range.
Each of McGwire's previous bests in scoring and rebounding came during her two seasons at Oregon (2016-18). She had previously scored a career-best 16 points at Stanford (Jan. 6, 2017) and grabbed 12 rebounds at Ole Miss (Dec. 14, 2016).
This season, McGwire is second on the Broncos with 13.3 points per game and leads the team with 9.3 rebounds a game.
LOVILLE OFF TO A HOT START
Sophomore Jade Loville has shown early on this season that she is making the "sophomore leap," and that should have opponents worried.
Loville, who scored 37 points a game as senior at Skyline High School in 2018-19, was voted Preseason Mountain West Freshman of the Year last year, but was brought on slowly with the stacked Bronco backcourt, averaging 3.8 points over 9.6 minutes per game.
This season, however, Loville has shined on the second unit, shooting 56.0 percent and averaging 12.3 points in 18.4 minutes per game off the bench. After a pair of 14-point games against Lewis-Clark State and Portland State, Loville went 4-for-6 from the floor for nine points Sunday against Missouri State.
THE HODGINS HUSTLE
Senior guard and 2019-20 Preseason Mountain West Player of the Year Braydey Hodgins may be off to a slow start shooting (6.7 ppg, 27.3 FG pct., 15.4 3FG pct.) early on, but she is proving her leadership by turning up the intensity and making hustle plays.
Last Sunday against MIssouri State, Hodgins scored 10 points on 3-for-8 shooting, but fought her way to four rebounds with five assists, while making a key steal late which allowed the Broncos to be in position to tie the game in the final seconds.
While working on getting her shot back up to its previous standard, Hodgins is making her mark on the hustle stats this season, averaging 4.0 rebounds and 5.67 assists per game.
LAST TIME OUT
Boise State was eliminated from the winner's bracket of the Preseason WNIT last Sunday with a 72-69 loss to Missouri State.
Riley Lupfer hit a 3-pointer with 12 seconds to play to bring the Broncos within a point, but, after a pair of free throws from Missouri State, had her potential buzzer beater rim out.
Lupfer hit five 3-pointers and scored 18 points in the contest, while redshirt junior center Mallory McGwire had the best game of her early Bronco career, posting a double-double that featured career highs of 19 points (on 9-of-16 shooting) and 17 rebounds.
WHO'S NEXT
UAB (1-1) hosts the Broncos for Friday's consolation game after also splitting its first two tournament games. The Blazers defeated South Alabama, 77-61, Nov. 8, before falling at Oklahoma, 82-75.
Miyah Barnes leads the Blazers with 18.0 points and 5.50 assists per game, and is shooting 51.7 percent early on this season. Angela Verdell provides the work in the paint, grabbing 26 rebounds over the first two contests.
The Blazers went 26-7 a season ago and advanced to the seocnd round of the Postseason WNIT, defeating Troy, 93-89, before dropping a 100-52 decision at Arkansas.
SERIES HISTORY
Friday will mark the first meeting between Boise State and UAB.
It is just the second game against a C-USA school for the Broncos, who previously defeated Charlotte, 68-65, Nov. 26, 2016, at the Concord Thanksgiving Classic in Moraga, Calif.
LUPFER APPROACHES CAREER 3s MARK
Senior guard Riley Lupfer entered this season just 15 3-pointers away from Abby Vaughan's (1999-2003) Boise State career record of 260, and could very well become Boise State's all-time leader Friday at UAB.
After hitting 12 triples over this season's first three games, Lupfer heads into Friday with 257 for her career, just four away from eclipsing Vaughan.
WHO'S BACK OF THE WEEK: RILEY LUPFER
Riley Lupfer followed up her performance of six 3-pointers last Friday against Portland State with five more Sunday against Missouri State. With 12 in the season's first week, it's an encouraging start to what many hope is a "bounce back" season of sorts for the Spokane, Wash., native.
After setting a program and Mountain West single-season record with 122 triples as a sophomore in 2017-18, Lupfer dipped to 67 last year at a career-low 32.5-percent clip.
This season, she's 12-for-29 (41.4 percent) from deep and shooting 48.5 percent from the floor while averaging 15.7 points a game.
MCGWIRE FINDING THE GROOVE
Redshirt junior center Mallory McGwire put in the best performance of her so-far short Bronco career Sunday against Missouri State, posting a double-double which featured career highs in points (19) and rebounds (17).
McGwire went 9-for-16 from the field, showing her range as she consistently hit midrange jumper and even went 1-for-3 from 3-point range.
Each of McGwire's previous bests in scoring and rebounding came during her two seasons at Oregon (2016-18). She had previously scored a career-best 16 points at Stanford (Jan. 6, 2017) and grabbed 12 rebounds at Ole Miss (Dec. 14, 2016).
This season, McGwire is second on the Broncos with 13.3 points per game and leads the team with 9.3 rebounds a game.
LOVILLE OFF TO A HOT START
Sophomore Jade Loville has shown early on this season that she is making the "sophomore leap," and that should have opponents worried.
Loville, who scored 37 points a game as senior at Skyline High School in 2018-19, was voted Preseason Mountain West Freshman of the Year last year, but was brought on slowly with the stacked Bronco backcourt, averaging 3.8 points over 9.6 minutes per game.
This season, however, Loville has shined on the second unit, shooting 56.0 percent and averaging 12.3 points in 18.4 minutes per game off the bench. After a pair of 14-point games against Lewis-Clark State and Portland State, Loville went 4-for-6 from the floor for nine points Sunday against Missouri State.
THE HODGINS HUSTLE
Senior guard and 2019-20 Preseason Mountain West Player of the Year Braydey Hodgins may be off to a slow start shooting (6.7 ppg, 27.3 FG pct., 15.4 3FG pct.) early on, but she is proving her leadership by turning up the intensity and making hustle plays.
Last Sunday against MIssouri State, Hodgins scored 10 points on 3-for-8 shooting, but fought her way to four rebounds with five assists, while making a key steal late which allowed the Broncos to be in position to tie the game in the final seconds.
While working on getting her shot back up to its previous standard, Hodgins is making her mark on the hustle stats this season, averaging 4.0 rebounds and 5.67 assists per game.
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Center
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