Broncos Close Regular Season With 80-60 Win Over Air Force

Thursday, March 7

USAFA, Colo.

7:00 PM MT

Boise State

25-4, 16-2MWC

Air Force

8-21, 4-14MWC

Boise St.

Air Force

Photo by: Boise State Photo Services

Broncos Close Regular Season With 80-60 Win Over Air Force

3/7/2019 8:39:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Postgame Notes

USAFA, Colo. - Boise State overcame a slow first quarter Thursday night at Air Force, shooting 53.2 percent from the field over the final three quarters to wrap the regular season with an 80-60 win over the Falcons.

The Broncos close the regular season 25-4 overall and 16-2 in Mountain West play, program records for both most regular-season wins and most conference victories.

Boise State will begin its quest for a Mountain West Tournament three-peat in Las Vegas Monday, March 11, at 1 p.m. MT against the winner of Sunday's matchup between No. 8 Nevada and No. 9 San Jose State.

Thursday, Marta Hermida and Riley Lupfer paced a decisive second quarter in which the Broncos shot 58.8 percent (10-for-17) and outscored the Falcons, 25-17. Hermida scored seven of her team-high 16 points in the frame, going 3-for-3 including a triple, while Lupfer scored five of her eight points for the game, capping the half by beating a Falcon defender to an offensive rebound and finishing off glass with a foul, with the three-point play giving Boise State a 38-25 lead at the break.

Jayde Christopher scored a career-high 14 points, with eight coming in the third quarter. For the game, Christopher went 5-for-7 from the field including a pair of 3-pointers, and passed out a team-high five assists.

For Hermida it continued a strong run of play to close the regular season, as Thursday's double-digit scoring effort was her seventh in the last eight games.

Rachel Bowers provided a spark off the bench for Boise State, scoring five points with five rebounds in the first half and going on to finish the night with 11 and a game-high eight boards.

Boise State missed its first six attempts from the field Thursday, but it didn't bite them too hard as Air Force missed its first four attempts and committed four turnovers until Riley Snyder broke the scoreless tie 2:57 in. The Falcons led 6-2 before Lupfer's three-point play woke up the Bronco offense, sparking an 11-2 run over the final 5:27 of the quarter.

Snyder and Kaelin Immel scored 13 points apiece for the Falcons, while Haley Jones grabbed 11 rebounds to go with nine points. Air Force was limited to just one 3-pointer on seven attempts in the contest.

Air Force opened the second with a 7-2 run behind a 3-pointer from Riley Snyder and buckets from Emily Conroe and Immel. But Ellie Woerner put the Broncos in front right away, and Hermida would score seven points over a 14-4 run that put Boise State up, 29-19 4:32 before the break. Lupfer's three-point play with eight-tenths of a second remaining put momentum firmly on the Broncos' side as they took a 13-point lead into halftime.

Christopher took over in the third quarter, hitting a pair of 3-pointers, including one from NBA range to beat the shot clock that put the Broncos up 56-34 with 2:42 on the clock. Hermida would close the frame with a driving layup, and the Broncos led by 20 after three.