Bayes Lifts Broncos Past Lobos in Final Seconds

Wednesday, February 21

Boise, Idaho

6:30 p.m. MT

Boise State

18-9,9-5Mountain West

New Mexico

18-9,9-5Mountain West

New Mexico

Boise St.

2/21/2024 9:36:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

BOISE, Idaho –Dani Bayes hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 12 seconds remaining to push Boise State past New Mexico, 58-55, Wednesday night at ExtraMile Arena.

Trailing 55-53, the sophomore caught a pass on the wing from Mary Kay Naro and drilled the 3-point attempt. The Lobos (18-9, 9-5 Mountain West) missed a 3-point attempt on the ensuing possession and was forced to foul Natalie Pasco with two seconds left. The sophomore nailed both of her attempts from the charity stripe to seal the victory for the Broncos (18-9, 9-5 MW).

The two teams struggled to score out of the gate with Boise State holding a 6-5 lead at the media timeout. Pasco and Elodie Lalotte and each scored four points in the quarter as the Broncos led 13-8 after one.

Tatum Thompson scored six-straight points to start the second stanza, followed by a backdoor layup from Linsey Lovrovich to give Boise State a 13-point lead. New Mexico stayed calm, whittling the Bronco lead down to six, but Thompson hit a pull-up jump shot at the buzzer as Boise State took a 29-21 advantage to the locker room.

Bayes and Pasco hit two 3-pointers to open the second half as the Broncos lead grew to 12. The Lobos bounced back with a 9-0 run to cut the advantage to 37-34 midway through the period. Bayes broke the scoring draught with a backdoor layup, followed by three-point play from Thompson to extend the lead to 45-37 entering the final frame.

The Lobos opened with back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the lead to one, but Thompson answered with back to back jump shots to extend the lead, 49-44. New Mexico climbed back into the game, taking a 52-50 lead with 3:33 to go. Boise State retook the lead with a layup and a free throw on its next two possessions, but New Mexico hit a corner 3-pointer with 1:27 left to take a 55-53 advantage to set up the heroics from Bayes.

Top Broncos
- Tatum Thompson scored a game-high 19 points, shooting 9-of-16 from the floor. The sophomore added three rebounds, two blocks and two steals.
- Elodie Lalotte shot 5-of-9 from the floor to finish with 12 points. The senior added six rebounds.
- Natalie Pasco reached double figures for the eighth-straight contest, finishing with 11 points. The sophomore added a career-high nine rebounds.
- Dani Bayes finished with eight points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 12 seconds left.

Notables
- With the win, the Broncos moved into a three-way tie with New Mexico and Wyoming for second place in the MW.
- Boise State has won three-straight contests over New Mexico.
- The Broncos boast a 10-3 all-time record against the Lobos in ExtraMile Arena.
- Mary Kay Naro blocked a career-high four shots in the victory.
- Naro finished the game with 450 career assists, the fourth-most in program history.
- Natalie Pasco moved into the top 10 in program history with 69 made 3-pointers in a single year
- Trista Hull surpassed 400 career rebounds in the contest, finishing with 402.
- Tatum Thompson eclipsed 100 made field goals in her career, finishing with 104.
- Boise State is 13-3 on the year when three or more players reach double digits
- The Broncos are 6-3 in single digit games this season.
- Boise State scored 36 points in the paints, two shy of its season-high.
- The Broncos received 24 points from their bench.

Quotables
"It's always tough coming into a game after losing the way we did at Nevada. We did a much better job tonight. Everyone was on the same page and we came up with some huge stops at the end. I'm really proud of them. This was a big win for our program." – head coach Gordy Presnell

"The play kind of broke down. My defender went to help on Mary Kay and I was more open than I thought. Mary Kay obviously finds everyone and so I caught it and put it up." – Dani Bayes on her go-ahead shot

What's Next
Boise State will close out its homestand on Saturday against Fresno State on Saturday, Feb. 24 at 1 p.m. MT. The contest will be broadcast on the MW Network and 670 KBOI AM.