Bronco Comeback Attempt Comes up Short

Wednesday, January 3

Boise, Idaho

6:30 p.m. MT

Boise State

9-6,0-2Mountain West

Nevada

7-8,1-1Mountain West

Nevada

Boise St.

1/3/2024 9:43:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

BOISE, Idaho – Boise State women's basketball had a chance to erase a 13-point deficit on the final possession, but couldn't convert, falling to Nevada 58-57 Wednesday night at ExtraMile Arena.

After whittling the Wolf Pack (7-8, 1-1 Mountain West) advantage down to seven entering the final frame, Dani Bayes and Natalie Pasco combined for 14 points in the fourth quarter, with a Pasco 3-pointer cutting the lead to one with 1:43 remaining. The Broncos (9-6, 0-2 MW) stopped Nevada twice in a row, getting the ball back with 29 seconds left with a chance to take the lead. However the Broncos couldn't capitalize, stepping on the baseline with 1.6 seconds on the clock, allowing Nevada to leave Boise with the victory.

Pasco led the Broncos with 20 points, with 15 coming in the second half. Abby Muse recorded her third double-double of the season, finishing with 15 points, 13 rebounds, five blocks, three steals and two assists. Both Bayes and Elodie Lalotte added eight points for the Broncos.

The game started sloppy, with both teams combining for nine turnovers in the first seven minutes of the game. Boise State jumped out to a 10-3 advantage, but Nevada responded with eight-straight points to take the lead. Lalotte's hook shot with five seconds left in the opening quarter gave Boise State a 12-11 lead entering the second period.

The Broncos continued to feed the ball inside to Muse, who scored five points in the quarter to propel Boise State to a 21-18 advantage. However Nevada converted on back-to-back possessions to end the half to take a 25-22 lead to the locker room.

The Wolf Pack came out of the break on fire offensively, scoring 18 points early in the period to extend their lead to 43-30 at the media timeout of the third quarter. Muse, Pasco and Lalotte helped Boise State weather the storm, combining for 17 points in the quarter to cut the lead to 48-41 entering the final frame.

Nevada quickly got its lead back up to 10, but Dani Bayes scored six-straight points to cut the lead back to 54-49 midway through the final period. Pasco took over, scoring the next seven Bronco points to get within one with 1:43 remaining.

Top Broncos

- Natalie Pasco scored a team-high 20 points, with 15 points coming in the second half. The sophomore shot 3-of-7 from behind the arc.
- Abby Muse recorded 15 points, 13 rebounds, five blocks, three steals and two assists in the contest. The senior shot 5-of-8 from the field.
- Dani Bayes scored all eight of her points in the second half, with six coming in the final quarter.
- Elodie Lalotte shot 3-of-5 from the floor to finish with eight points.

Notables

- Abby Muse pulled down 13 rebounds to move into fifth place all-time in program history with 782 career boards. The senior entered the contest trailing Lidiya Varbanova (1990-94), who pulled down 770 rebounds in her career.
- Muse, who appeared in her 100th game as a Bronco, recorded her third double-double of the season and the 24th of her career.
- Natalie Pasco eclipsed 20 points for the third time this season and the sixth time in her career. The sophomore also notched two steals, a career-high.
- Mya Hansen matched her career-high with seven assists.
- The Broncos scored 34 points in the paint.

What's Next

Boise State continues MW play as it travels to Albuquerque, N.M., to face New Mexico on Jan. 6. Tipoff will occur at 2 p.m. MT and will be broadcast on the MW Network and 670 KBOI AM.