Boise State Athletics
Wednesday, March 4
Las Vegas, Nev.
9:00 PM MT
Boise State
vs
Fresno State
MW Title, NCAA Bid At Stake
3/4/2020 1:14:00 PM | Women's Basketball
2020 Air Force Reserve Mountain West Championship Game
No. 2 Boise State (23-9) vs. No. 1 Fresno State (25-6)
Wednesday, March 4 - 9 p.m. MT
Las Vegas, Nev. - Thomas and Mack Center
TV:Â CBS Sports Network (PxP: Alex Del Barrio; Analyst: Megan Perry)
Game Notes | Watch | Listen | Live Stats
LAS VEGAS -Â Boise State goes for its record-setting fourth-straight Mountain West Tournament title, and the first auto-bid of the 2020 NCAA Tournament, Wednesday night, facing No. 1 seed Fresno State at 9 p.m. MT. Wednesday night's game will be televised on CBS Sports Network, with Alex Del Barrio (play-by-play) and Megan Perry (analyst) on the call.
LAST TIME OUT
Boise State advanced to its fourth-straight Mountain West Tournament title game with a 79-71 victory over Wyoming in Tuesday's semifinal.
The Broncos rebounded from a 2-for-12 start from the field to hit 12 of its net 17 attempts, using a 29-17 second quarter to take a lead it would not relinquish over the Cowgirls.
Forward A'Shanti Coleman posted her fifth-straight 20-point game, posting a double-double of 20 points and 12 rebounds, while point guard Jayde Christopher also had a double-double, going the rare route of 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
Demonstrating the balance of the Bronco offence, Boise State had five players score in double figures for the fourth time in five games Tuesday night.
WHO'S NEXT
The Broncos face top-seeded Fresno State in Wednesday's championship game, after the Bulldogs routed No. 4 San Jose State, 94-68, in Tuesday's first semifinal.
The Bulldogs are led by the play of Mountain West Freshman of the Year Haley Cavinder (16.0 ppg, 81 3-pointers) and Mountain West Player of the Year Matti Utti (15.9 ppg, 8.9 rpg).
Fresno State won the only meeting of the teams in the 2019-20 regular season, coming back from a 17-point, second-quarter deficit to grab an 85-80 victory in Boise back on Jan. 25.
SERIES HISTORY
Boise State is 17-25 all-time against Fresno State, and had its seven-game winning streak in the series snapped with Jan. 25's 85-80 loss.
REMATCH IN THE 'SHIP
Wednesday night's meeting will mark the second time that Boise State and Fresno State have met in the Mountain West title game.
The teams met in the 2017 final, with Boise State cruising to a 66-53 victory.
CHASING HISTORY
This week's Air Force Reserve Mountain West Basketball Championship could be a history-making one, if Boise State has its way.
The Broncos, three-time defending champion, have a chance to become the first team to win four-straight Mountain West tournaments.
Boise State is already one of just two programs to win three-straight tournament crowns (2017-19), along with New Mexico (2003-05).
SELECT COMPANY
Boise State entered the conference-tournament season as one of just five teams seeking at least its fourth-straight conference tournament title.
Connecticut has won six-straight American Athletic Conference titles entering this year's tournament, while others seeking at least a fourth-straight conference-tournament title include Belmont (Ohio Valley), Florida Gulf Coast (Atlantic Sun), and Quinnipiac (MAAC).
ALL-TIME AT THE MW TOURNAMENT
Boise State has won a total of four Mountain West Tournament titles (2015, 2017-19), and owns an all-time record of 15-4 at the event.
After going 1-3 at the event from 2012-14, the Broncos have won 14 of their last 15 tournament games, including 11-straight.
VS. THE MW IN MARCH
Mountain West foes have not fared well against the Broncos in the month of March over the past few years, as Boise State has won 21 of the past 22 meetings against conference opponents during the month.
Fifteen of those wins have come over the 3-0 Mountain West Tournament runs in 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2019, and this season's 2-0 run (so far).
CLASS OF THE MOUNTAIN WEST
Entering the Mountain West Championship, Boise State has won 44 of its last 51 meetings overall against conference opposition (regular season and tournament).
The current 44-7 run began with a 91-85 victory over New Mexico in Boise on Feb. 7, 2018. That win started a seven-game winning streak to close the 2017-18 regular season, which was followed by a 3-0 run at the 2018 Mountain West Tournament, a 16-2 regular season in 2018-19, and another tournament win last March.
IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Boise State has found itself, as well as a handful of players, ranked fairly high in early national stat rankings through March 3.
As a team, the Broncos rank seventh in assists (547). The Broncos' 45.1 field-goal percentage ranks 20th, and the team's 229 3-pointers are 30th in the country.
Individually, redshirt senior point guard Jayde Christopher is second in the nation with 260 assists, and with 8.13 assists per game. Senior guard Riley Lupfer is second in the country with 104 3-pointers made, and sixth with 3.25 triples made per game.
LOADS OF CRUNCH TIME EXPERIENCE
Boise State comes into the Mountain West Basketball Championship with a distinct edge on the rest of the competition, in that it has on its roster the only players at the event who have won a previous title.
Nine of the 13 players on Boise State's roster have played in a Mountain West Championship game, while two, Braydey Hodgins and Riley Lupfer, have played in three.
In fact, the only player on Boise State's roster who has played in a Bronco loss at the conference tournament is sixth-year senior Marijke Vanderschaaf, who was a redshirt freshman when Boise State fell to UNLV in the 2016 quarterfinals.
TWO MVPs IN ACTION
Along the experience lines, Boise State also boasts two previous Mountain West Championship MVPs in Riley Lupfer (2018) and Braydey Hodgins (2019).
Lupfer averaged 16.7 points and hit 12 3-pointers over Boise State's 3-0 run to the title in 2018, while Hodgins, last year, averaged 23.3 points and 3.00 assists while posting FG/3FG/FT percentages of 61.1/42.1/94.7. Hodgins also set a Mountain West Tournament single-game record with 37 points in the quarterfinal win over Nevada.
COLEMAN FOR MVP?
Redshirt senior forward A'Shanti Coleman arguably heads into the Mountain West Tournament title game as the clubhouse leader for MVP honors.
Over the first two games of the event, Coleman has posted two 20-point games, and is averaging 21.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game while shooting 57.6 percent from the field.
COLEMAN IN RARIFIED AIR
A'Shanti Coleman has saved some of the best basketball of her career for the final month of this season, and she has joined a select club with five-straight 20-point games heading into Wednesday's championship game against Fresno State.
Only two other players in program history have recorded at least five-straight 20-point games: current senior Braydey Hodgins had six in a row last season, while Michelle Schultz was the first to have a six-game streak, doing so in 1995-96.
Since Feb. 1, Coleman is averaging 17.0 points and 7.2 rebounds while shooting 58.7 percent (74-for-126) from the field.
BOISE STATE AND MOUNTAIN WEST ASSIST CHAMPION
Redshirt senior Jayde Christopher passed out 10 assists in Monday's quarterfinal win over Air Force to set the Mountain West single-season record. She passed the previous conference mark of 243 set by New Mexico's Cherise Beynon in 2017-18, and, after Tuesday win over Wyoming, now has 260 helpers on the year.
Christopher already set Boise State's single-season assists record with her 193rd helper back on Feb. 12 at Air Force, eclipsing Yaiza Rodriguez' previous mark of 192 set in 2016-17.
LUPFER HEATING UP AT THE RIGHT TIME
Senior guard Riley Lupfer has heated up at the right time for the Broncos, scoring in double figures in nine-straight games, and shooting 48.1 percent (38-for-79) from behind the arc.
Over this nine-game span, Lupfer is averaging 16.9 points per game, and shooting 52.0 percent (51-for-98) from the field in addition to her solid 3-point shooting.
JADE LOVILLE IN CRUNCH TIME
Sophomore guard Jade Loville has steadily become a more and more important part of the Bronco rotation as the season's progressed, as evidenced in her Mountain West stats.
Since the New Year, Loville has scored in double figures nine times, including in five of the past six games.
Since going for a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double at San Diego State on Feb. 15, Loville has averaged 11.5 points over the last six games, shooting 52.7 percent (29-for-55).
So far in the Mountain West Tournament, Loville has averaged 11.0 points and shot 50.0 percent (10-for-20) in 21.0 minutes per game off the bench.
No. 2 Boise State (23-9) vs. No. 1 Fresno State (25-6)
Wednesday, March 4 - 9 p.m. MT
Las Vegas, Nev. - Thomas and Mack Center
TV:Â CBS Sports Network (PxP: Alex Del Barrio; Analyst: Megan Perry)
Game Notes | Watch | Listen | Live Stats
LAS VEGAS -Â Boise State goes for its record-setting fourth-straight Mountain West Tournament title, and the first auto-bid of the 2020 NCAA Tournament, Wednesday night, facing No. 1 seed Fresno State at 9 p.m. MT. Wednesday night's game will be televised on CBS Sports Network, with Alex Del Barrio (play-by-play) and Megan Perry (analyst) on the call.
LAST TIME OUT
Boise State advanced to its fourth-straight Mountain West Tournament title game with a 79-71 victory over Wyoming in Tuesday's semifinal.
The Broncos rebounded from a 2-for-12 start from the field to hit 12 of its net 17 attempts, using a 29-17 second quarter to take a lead it would not relinquish over the Cowgirls.
Forward A'Shanti Coleman posted her fifth-straight 20-point game, posting a double-double of 20 points and 12 rebounds, while point guard Jayde Christopher also had a double-double, going the rare route of 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
Demonstrating the balance of the Bronco offence, Boise State had five players score in double figures for the fourth time in five games Tuesday night.
WHO'S NEXT
The Broncos face top-seeded Fresno State in Wednesday's championship game, after the Bulldogs routed No. 4 San Jose State, 94-68, in Tuesday's first semifinal.
The Bulldogs are led by the play of Mountain West Freshman of the Year Haley Cavinder (16.0 ppg, 81 3-pointers) and Mountain West Player of the Year Matti Utti (15.9 ppg, 8.9 rpg).
Fresno State won the only meeting of the teams in the 2019-20 regular season, coming back from a 17-point, second-quarter deficit to grab an 85-80 victory in Boise back on Jan. 25.
SERIES HISTORY
Boise State is 17-25 all-time against Fresno State, and had its seven-game winning streak in the series snapped with Jan. 25's 85-80 loss.
REMATCH IN THE 'SHIP
Wednesday night's meeting will mark the second time that Boise State and Fresno State have met in the Mountain West title game.
The teams met in the 2017 final, with Boise State cruising to a 66-53 victory.
CHASING HISTORY
This week's Air Force Reserve Mountain West Basketball Championship could be a history-making one, if Boise State has its way.
The Broncos, three-time defending champion, have a chance to become the first team to win four-straight Mountain West tournaments.
Boise State is already one of just two programs to win three-straight tournament crowns (2017-19), along with New Mexico (2003-05).
SELECT COMPANY
Boise State entered the conference-tournament season as one of just five teams seeking at least its fourth-straight conference tournament title.
Connecticut has won six-straight American Athletic Conference titles entering this year's tournament, while others seeking at least a fourth-straight conference-tournament title include Belmont (Ohio Valley), Florida Gulf Coast (Atlantic Sun), and Quinnipiac (MAAC).
ALL-TIME AT THE MW TOURNAMENT
Boise State has won a total of four Mountain West Tournament titles (2015, 2017-19), and owns an all-time record of 15-4 at the event.
After going 1-3 at the event from 2012-14, the Broncos have won 14 of their last 15 tournament games, including 11-straight.
VS. THE MW IN MARCH
Mountain West foes have not fared well against the Broncos in the month of March over the past few years, as Boise State has won 21 of the past 22 meetings against conference opponents during the month.
Fifteen of those wins have come over the 3-0 Mountain West Tournament runs in 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2019, and this season's 2-0 run (so far).
CLASS OF THE MOUNTAIN WEST
Entering the Mountain West Championship, Boise State has won 44 of its last 51 meetings overall against conference opposition (regular season and tournament).
The current 44-7 run began with a 91-85 victory over New Mexico in Boise on Feb. 7, 2018. That win started a seven-game winning streak to close the 2017-18 regular season, which was followed by a 3-0 run at the 2018 Mountain West Tournament, a 16-2 regular season in 2018-19, and another tournament win last March.
IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Boise State has found itself, as well as a handful of players, ranked fairly high in early national stat rankings through March 3.
As a team, the Broncos rank seventh in assists (547). The Broncos' 45.1 field-goal percentage ranks 20th, and the team's 229 3-pointers are 30th in the country.
Individually, redshirt senior point guard Jayde Christopher is second in the nation with 260 assists, and with 8.13 assists per game. Senior guard Riley Lupfer is second in the country with 104 3-pointers made, and sixth with 3.25 triples made per game.
LOADS OF CRUNCH TIME EXPERIENCE
Boise State comes into the Mountain West Basketball Championship with a distinct edge on the rest of the competition, in that it has on its roster the only players at the event who have won a previous title.
Nine of the 13 players on Boise State's roster have played in a Mountain West Championship game, while two, Braydey Hodgins and Riley Lupfer, have played in three.
In fact, the only player on Boise State's roster who has played in a Bronco loss at the conference tournament is sixth-year senior Marijke Vanderschaaf, who was a redshirt freshman when Boise State fell to UNLV in the 2016 quarterfinals.
TWO MVPs IN ACTION
Along the experience lines, Boise State also boasts two previous Mountain West Championship MVPs in Riley Lupfer (2018) and Braydey Hodgins (2019).
Lupfer averaged 16.7 points and hit 12 3-pointers over Boise State's 3-0 run to the title in 2018, while Hodgins, last year, averaged 23.3 points and 3.00 assists while posting FG/3FG/FT percentages of 61.1/42.1/94.7. Hodgins also set a Mountain West Tournament single-game record with 37 points in the quarterfinal win over Nevada.
COLEMAN FOR MVP?
Redshirt senior forward A'Shanti Coleman arguably heads into the Mountain West Tournament title game as the clubhouse leader for MVP honors.
Over the first two games of the event, Coleman has posted two 20-point games, and is averaging 21.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game while shooting 57.6 percent from the field.
COLEMAN IN RARIFIED AIR
A'Shanti Coleman has saved some of the best basketball of her career for the final month of this season, and she has joined a select club with five-straight 20-point games heading into Wednesday's championship game against Fresno State.
Only two other players in program history have recorded at least five-straight 20-point games: current senior Braydey Hodgins had six in a row last season, while Michelle Schultz was the first to have a six-game streak, doing so in 1995-96.
Since Feb. 1, Coleman is averaging 17.0 points and 7.2 rebounds while shooting 58.7 percent (74-for-126) from the field.
BOISE STATE AND MOUNTAIN WEST ASSIST CHAMPION
Redshirt senior Jayde Christopher passed out 10 assists in Monday's quarterfinal win over Air Force to set the Mountain West single-season record. She passed the previous conference mark of 243 set by New Mexico's Cherise Beynon in 2017-18, and, after Tuesday win over Wyoming, now has 260 helpers on the year.
Christopher already set Boise State's single-season assists record with her 193rd helper back on Feb. 12 at Air Force, eclipsing Yaiza Rodriguez' previous mark of 192 set in 2016-17.
LUPFER HEATING UP AT THE RIGHT TIME
Senior guard Riley Lupfer has heated up at the right time for the Broncos, scoring in double figures in nine-straight games, and shooting 48.1 percent (38-for-79) from behind the arc.
Over this nine-game span, Lupfer is averaging 16.9 points per game, and shooting 52.0 percent (51-for-98) from the field in addition to her solid 3-point shooting.
JADE LOVILLE IN CRUNCH TIME
Sophomore guard Jade Loville has steadily become a more and more important part of the Bronco rotation as the season's progressed, as evidenced in her Mountain West stats.
Since the New Year, Loville has scored in double figures nine times, including in five of the past six games.
Since going for a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double at San Diego State on Feb. 15, Loville has averaged 11.5 points over the last six games, shooting 52.7 percent (29-for-55).
So far in the Mountain West Tournament, Loville has averaged 11.0 points and shot 50.0 percent (10-for-20) in 21.0 minutes per game off the bench.
Players Mentioned
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Center
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