Boise State Downs Rutgers In Las Vegas

Saturday, November 25

Las Vegas, Nev.

7:30 p.m. MT

Boise State

5-1,0-0Mountain West

Rutgers

3-5,0-0Big Ten

Rutgers

Boise St.

11/25/2023 11:46:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

LAS VEGAS – Boise State women's basketball came up with two defensive stops in the final 18 seconds to preserve a 68-65 win over Rutgers, Saturday, in the final game of the South Point Classic.

Natalie Pasco led the way again for Boise State, scoring a team-high 19 points for the Broncos (5-1). Abby Muse and Trista Hull both added 11 points while Mya Hansen netted 10 for the squad.

The Scarlet Knights (3-5) jumped out to a 17-9 advantage, but Dani Bayes hit a triple from the corner to cap a 9-1 Boise State response to tie the game at 18. After a tight-knit second quarter, Tatum Thompson drilled a jumper with four seconds left in the half to take a 38-34 lead into halftime.

Rutgers scored the first six points of the second half to retake the lead, starting a back-and-forth third quarter that consisted of six lead changes. Pasco and Muse scored 12 of Boise State's 14 third quarter points to take a 52-49 lead into the final frame.

The Broncos looked poised to run away with the game after another Thompson pull-up jumper extended the lead to nine at the six-minute mark. Rutgers fought back, with Jillian Huerta hitting three 3-pointers in the final five minutes, including one with 59 seconds left to bring the Scarlet Knights within three.

Muse missed a layup attempt on the offensive end, but got her own rebound to reset the shot clock. After Rutgers committed a foul to stop the clock, Boise State turned the ball over on the inbound, giving the Scarlet Knights the ball with 18 seconds on the clock and an opportunity to send the game to overtime.

The Broncos defended the arc aggressively, forcing a heavily contested 3-point attempt from Huerter with three seconds left. Boise State, however, knocked the ball out of bounds on the rebound, giving Rutgers another chance with 1.2 seconds remaining on the clock. The Blue and Orange defense prevailed once again, not allowing Kaylene Smikle's 3-point attempt off before the buzzer to secure the Bronco victory.

Quotables

"That's a great win for our program. Not just this year, but all-time. Rutgers is a storied program, they have a long history of success there. What a great win for us. We're going to enjoy tonight. You don't get to beat a Big 10 school very often." – head coach Gordy Presnell

"We executed our stuff, both offensively and defensively, really well. Our screening was terrific. Everyone contributed. I'm really proud of our team. That's a great win, I feel great about it." - Presnell

Top Broncos

- Natalie Pasco led the team with 19 points on the night. The Danville, Calif., native shot 7-of-19 from the floor, while draining 3-of-5 from beyond the arc.
- Abby Muse recorded her first double-double of the season, finishing with 11 points and 13 rebounds. The senior also added four blocks on the night.
- Trista Hull added a season-high 11 points along with five boards for the Broncos.
- Mya Hansen netted 10 points for the squad, draining two of her three 3-point attempts. The sophomore also dished out four assists.

Notables

- Boise State picked up its first win over a Power 5 school since defeating Washington 73-69 on Dec. 16, 2018.
- Natalie Pasco was named to the South Point Classic All-Tournament Team. The sophomore led the team in scoring both games, averaging 16.5 points per game at the tournament. Pasco has scored in double figures in every game so far this season
- Abby Muse recorded the 22nd double-double of her career.
- Muse has also blocked 22 shots over her past four games.
- Mary Kay Naro has dished out five or more assists in each of the last four games.

What's Next

Boise State will return to ExtraMile Arena, Wednesday, Nov. 29 at 6:30 p.m. MT for a contest against UC Davis. With a win over the Aggies, Presnell would secure his 200th win at ExtraMile Arena.