Bronco Defense Stifles Wyoming for Third-Straight Victory

Saturday, February 10

Boise, Idaho

1 p.m. MT

Boise State

16-8,7-4Mountain West

Wyoming

14-9,9-3Mountain West

Wyoming

Boise St.

Bronco Defense Stifles Wyoming for Third-Straight Victory

2/10/2024 3:51:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

BOISE, Idaho – Boise State women's basketball used suffocating defense to pick up its third-straight victory, taking down Wyoming, 56-42, Saturday at ExtraMile Arena.

Natalie Pasco led the Broncos (16-8, 7-4 Mountain West) in scoring with 13 points, while Mya Hansen added 11. Trista Hull and Tatum Thompson combined to add 15 points off the bench.

Pasco scored the first seven points for the Broncos as the team grabbed a 7-5 lead at the first media timeout. Boise State ended the first quarter on fire from deep, with Thompson, Hansen and Mary Kay Naro connecting on long balls as the Broncos led 20-12 after one.

Boise State opened the second period on an 8-3 run to gain a 28-15 advantage. The Cowgirls (14-9, 9-3 MW) cut the lead back to single digits, but points from Hull and Thompson helped Boise State extend its lead back to 11. Wyoming's McKinley Dickerson hit a pull-up jumper at the buzzer and the Cowgirls trailed 34-25 at intermission.

The Broncos opened the second with six-straight points to extend their lead to 40-25. After Wyoming responded with its own 6-0 spurt, Pasco found Hull on a pick and roll to extend the Bronco lead back to double figures. Hull added another layup and Hansen sank two free throws at the end of the quarter as Boise State took a 46-33 lead into the final frame.

Pasco and Hansen scored back-to-back baskets to start the fourth quarter, and Hull added a layup a minute later to propel Boise State to a 19-point late midway through the period. The Broncos held the Cowgirls scoreless for nearly seven minutes in the final period, with Wyoming scoring its first basket with 3:17 to go.

Top Broncos

Natalie Pasco finished with a team-high 13 points in the victory, with seven coming in the opening period. The sophomore also added two rebounds and two assists.
Mya Hansen scored 11 points, including a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line.
Trista Hull shot 3-of-5 from the floor to finish with eight points. The junior also pulled down four rebounds.
Tatum Thompson recorded seven points and a career-high eight rebounds off the bench.

Notables

Head coach Gordy Presnell picked up his 350th victory as the Broncos' head coach in the win.
Presnell also moved into second place in conference history by recording his 131st Mountain West victory. Presnell passed Elaine Elliot (Utah, 1999-2010), who garnered 130 MW wins.
Boise State moved to 14-3 overall against Wyoming in ExtraMile Arena. The Broncos hold a 19-16 all-time advantage over the Cowgirls.
Mary Kay Naro reached 100 assists during the contest, becoming the second Bronco in program history to record 100 assists in four-straight seasons.
Naro has dished out 18 assists over her last three games.
Wyoming's 42 points is the lowest points scored against Boise State.
The Broncos held Wyoming's leading scorer Allyson Fertig to two points on 0-5 shooting.
Boise State held Wyoming to nine points in the fourth quarter, marking the third-straight game the Broncos have held their opponent to single digits in the fourth quarter.
Elodie Lalotte notched a career-high four steals in the victory.
Abby Muse moved into second place in program history with 78 blocks, passing Camille Redmon's 77 blocked shots during the 2014-15 season. The senior is now chasing the program record 93 blocks that she herself set last season.
Muse also moved into a tie for third place in conference history with 140 blocks in MW contests. The Brentwood, Calif., native ties Jordan Adams (New Mexico, 1999-2003), who blocked 140 shots in conference games.
The Broncos moved into second place all-time in program history with 151 blocks on the year, passing the 149 blocks the 2020-21 squad recorded.

Quotables

"I am so pumped for our team. The whole team came to play and they bought into the game plan. It was a great effort by our players." – head coach Gordy Presnell

"We want to compete with the top dogs in the conference and this was one of them. We have to stay consistent with our effort. We came together as a team and played a complete game, and we hadn't done that until now." – Presnell

What's Next

Boise State will make the trip to Logan, Utah to play at Utah State on Wednesday. The game will take place at 6 p.m. MT on the MW Network and on 670 KBOI AM.