Bronco Comeback Attempt Comes up Short in MW Semifinal

Tuesday, March 12

Las Vegas, Nev.

8:30 p.m. MT

Boise State

21-13,10-8Mountain West

San Diego State

22-12,10-8Mountain West

San Diego St.

Boise St.

Bronco Comeback Attempt Comes up Short in MW Semifinal

3/13/2024 12:15:00 AM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

LAS VEGAS – Boise State women's basketball nearly completed another comeback at the MW Tournament, but ultimately fell to San Diego State, 72-69, Tuesday night at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Trailing by 13 points midway through the third quarter, the Broncos (21-13, 10-8 MW) stormed back to take the lead, 67-65, with 2:09 remaining in the contest. The Aztecs (22-10, 10-8) responded, putting themselves ahead by three from the free throw line with 14.1 seconds left and giving Boise State an opportunity to tie the game. However Tatum Thompson missed a jumper with two seconds remaining as San Diego State advanced to the championship game.

Mya Hansen once again led the Blue and Orange in scoring with 19 points, shooting 6-of-11 from the field and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. Dani Bayes added nine points for the squad, while four different Broncos netted eight points.

Abby Muse opened the contest aggressively, scoring six early points to propel the Broncos to a 12-8 lead midway through the period. The Aztecs battled back to take the lead with 34 seconds left to hold a 16-15 advantage after the first ten. San Diego State stretched its lead to eight points, but Boise State cut the lead to two with 1:55 remaining in the half. The Aztecs regrouped, ending the half with a 3-pointer and transition layup to take a 36-29 score to the locker room.

Hansen opened the second half with a spot-up jumper, and Mary Kay Naro drilled a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession to cut the Aztec lead down to two. San Diego State responded with eight consecutive points to grow the lead to double digits. The Aztec lead stretched to 13 with 2:31 left in the period, but the Broncos wouldn't back down. Boise State responded with nine unanswered points to whittle the lead to four with 16 seconds left. A free throw with 1.3 seconds remaining on the clock gave the Aztecs a 56-51 advantage entering the fourth quarter.

After exchanging baskets to open the period, Natalie Pasco drilled her second 3-pointer of the night to cut the lead to two midway through the quarter. Trista Hull found Muse for a layup on the next possession as the Broncos tied the game at 63 with four minutes remaining.

Boise State took the lead off a pair of free throws from Hansen with 2:33 to go, but the Aztecs tied the game on the next possession with a layup. San Diego State went to the free throw line on its next two possessions, converting three of the four attempts to take a three-point lead with 26.5 seconds left.

Thompson drove to the basket on the ensuing possession, drawing a foul and converting both free throw attempts to make it a one-point contest. San Diego State converted its two free throw attempts, once again gaining a three-point advantage with 14.1 seconds to go. Thompson attempted a jumper with two seconds left, but it was no good as the Aztecs advanced to the championship game.

Top Broncos

Mya Hansen scored a team-high 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting. The sophomore drained two of her three 3-point attempts.
Dani Bayes added nine points off the bench.
Trista Hull finished with eights points, eight rebounds and two blocks.
Abby Muse recorded eight points and six rebounds.
Natalie Pasco netted eight points, including a 2-of-4 performance from beyond the arc.
Elodie Lalotte also added eight points for the Broncos.
Mary Kay Naro stuffed the stat sheet with three points, seven assists and six rebounds.

Notables

Tatum Thompson dished out a career-high six assists.
Natalie Pasco tied Abby Vaughn for third place in program history with 127 3-pointers.
Pasco also moved into 11th place in program history with 442 points on the year.
Mary Kay Naro moved into seventh place in the program's record books with 141 assists on the season.

Quotables

"We made a good comeback last night and won. We had a good comeback tonight but just came up a little bit short this time. Hopefully we can learn from those things. It's hard to get to this point." - head coach Gordy Presnell

"We would have liked to play better tonight. I'm proud of our team. I'm proud of how far we've come in the last three years." – Presnell