Broncos Meet Montana in First Round of WNIT

WHAT'S NEXT

Boise State women's basketball will face Montana in the first round of the Women's National Invitational Tournament, Wednesday, March 20. The game will tip off at 7 p.m. MT in Missoula, Mont. and will be broadcast on ESPN+ and 670 KBOI AM. The game will mark the third appearance the Broncos will make in the WNIT and the last since advancing to the second round in 2008.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT

The Lady Griz (22-9, 13-5 Big Sky) picked up a 20-win season for the first time since the 2015-16 campaign. Montana is one of three Big Sky schools playing in the WNIT and are playing in the postseason event for the sixth time in program history. The Lady Griz have four scorers averaging in double figures, including Carmen Gfeller (13.6 ppg) and Maggie Espenmiller-McGraw (11.8 ppg).

DEFENSE IS THE KEY

The Broncos (21-13, 10-8 MW) will look to combat the Montana offense with their elite defense. Boise State is ranked 22nd nationally in field goal percentage defense, holding teams to 36.4% shooting. The squad led the MW in scoring defense (58.0 ppg) and was second in 3-point field goal percentage defense (28.2%). As a team, the Broncos are ranked second in the nation with 6.2 blocks per game, while Abby Muse has the sixth-most blocks (90) in the country and is 10th in blocks per game (2.7).

MEANT TO BE BROKEN

Muse is on track to take down several program records against the Lady Griz. The senior enters the matchup with 90 blocks on the season, three short of the program-record of 93 that she set last season. The Brentwood, Calif., native has also pulled down 287 rebounds this year, two shy of the program-high of 289 set by Karla Meier (1981-82).

HOMECOMING

Billings, Mont., native Mya Hansen will return to her home state for the contest and has been on a tear lately. The sophomore guard has surpassed 20 points twice in her last five games and is coming off a team-high 19-point performance against San Diego State. Hansen has scored 19 or more points in three of the five postseason contests of her career.

BEYOND THE ARC

After draining 81 shots from beyond the arc this season, sophomore Natalie Pasco is tied for third on the program's single-season 3-point list. The Danville, Calif., native is second among MW players in both 3-pointers per game (2.4) and 3-point percentage (28.2%) and her 442 points are the 14th-most a Bronco has scored in a single season in program history. As a team, the Broncos are third among MW teams in 3-point percentage, shooting 34.5% from long range.

MW TOURNAMENT

The Broncos advanced to the semifinal round of the 2024 MW Tournament. The Blue and Orange cruised to a 36-point victory over Utah State in the opening round, then scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to rally past Wyoming in the quarterfinal matchup. Boise State ultimately fell to San Diego State, 72-69, to end its tournament run.

WHAT'S NEXT

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT

DEFENSE IS THE KEY

MEANT TO BE BROKEN

HOMECOMING

BEYOND THE ARC

MW TOURNAMENT

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Mya Hansen

Abby Muse

Natalie Pasco