Fourth Quarter Comeback Lifts Broncos Past Cowgirls

Monday, March 11

Las Vegas, Nev.

8:30 p.m. MT

Boise State

21-12,10-8Mountain West

Wyoming

16-14,11-7Mountain West

Boise St.

Wyoming

3/11/2024 11:40:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

LAS VEGAS – Boise State women's basketball scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to rally past No. 3 Wyoming, 62-54, Monday night at the Thomas & Mack Center. The sixth-seeded Broncos advance to face No. 7 San Diego State at 8:30 p.m. MT on Tuesday, March 12 in the second game of the MW semifinals.

Mya Hansen scored a game-high 20 points, while Natalie Pasco netted 10 points for the Broncos (21-12, 10-8 MW). Tatum Thompson chipped in nine points, Abby Muse added eight and Mary Kay Naro notched seven for the squad.

After Muse scored the first two points of the game with a layup, Wyoming rattled off six-straight points to take an early four-point lead. Hansen responded with a turnaround jumper, then hit back-to-back 3-pointers as Boise State led 10-8 at the media timeout. The Cowgirls (16-14, 11-7 MW) answered with an 11-2 run to take a 19-12 lead into the second stanza.

Naro scored four consecutive points to open the frame to cut the lead to four. After the Cowgirls hit a 3-pointer, Linsey Lovrovich responded with a reverse layup to make it 23-18. Following a Wyoming layup, Boise State rattled off a 9-0 run to take a 27-25 lead with 1:40 left in the half. The Cowgirls scored four points over the remainder of the period to take a 29-27 lead to the locker room.

The two teams exchanged baskets to open the second half, with Wyoming holding a 39-31 advantage at the media break. Thompson took over, scoring six points in the quarter to spur a 7-0 Bronco response. The Cowgirls answered the call, hitting a 3-pointer with 1.4 seconds left in the quarter to take a 44-40 advantage to the final frame.

Muse scored consecutive layups, setting up Boise State to take the lead off a Hansen 3-pointer with 6:34 remaining. After Wyoming scored four consecutive points, Elodie Lalotte responded with a putback, then found Pasco for a backdoor layup to give the Broncos a 51-50 lead with 4:42 remaining.

Naro continued the spurt, blocking a shot on the defensive end then drilling a corner 3-pointer to give the Broncos a four-point edge with 2:48 left on the clock. Hansen drilled a pull-up jumper on the ensuing possession, followed by a 3-point dagger from Pasco to give the Broncos a nine-point lead with 40 seconds remaining. Wyoming broke the streak with 15 seconds on the scoreboard, but it was too late as Boise State claimed the quarterfinal victory.

Top Broncos

Mya Hansen scored 10 of her game-high 20 points in the first quarter. The sophomore shot 7-of-15 from the floor and 3-of-5 from beyond the arc.
Natalie Pasco added 10 points for the Blue and Orange.
Tatum Thompson scored nine points, shooting 3-of-6 from the floor
Abby Muse recorded eight points and five rebounds.
Mary Kay Naro finished with seven points, three assists and two rebounds.

Notables

The Broncos advance to the semifinals of the MW Tournament for the first time since 2021, where they fell to Wyoming 53-38.
Boise State scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.
The Broncos only led for 6:35 throughout the contest.
Mya Hansen notched 20+ points for the second time this season, with both instances occurring in the last four games. The Billings, Mont., native dropped 26 points against Air Force on March 2.
Hansen has scored 20+ points four times in her career, with two of those games occuring at the MW Tournament. The sophomore scored 20 points in the opening round against Utah State last season.
Boise State scored 21 points off turnovers, compared to Wyoming's seven.
Natalie Pasco moved into a tie for fourth place in program history with 79 3-pointers on the year.
Pasco also moved into 13th place with 434 points on the season.
Elodie Lalotte moved into ninth place in program history with 649 career rebounds.
Mary Kay Naro moved into ninth place in the program's record books with 83 blocks in her career.
Trista Hull moved into the top 10 in program history with 40 blocks on the season.

Quotables

"What a great comeback by our players. They persevered and in the fourth quarter we held them to 10 points. We struggled to score at times this year, and tonight we scored 22 in the fourth." – head coach Gordy Presnell

"We hit huge shots. Mya hit shots all night, and then Mary Kay had a tremendous shot from the corner. That may be the best game of her career. We're excited to get to move on and play in the semifinals. We're excited for our team and we worked pretty hard to get where we're at." – Presnell

What's Next

Boise State will take on No. 7 San Diego State in a semifinal matchup on Tuesday, March 12. The game will tip off 8:30 p.m. MT and will be broadcast on the MW Network and 670 KBOI AM.