Bronco Comeback Attempt Falls Short

Saturday, March 2

Boise, Idaho

2 p.m. MT

Boise State

19-11,10-7Mountain West

Air Force

15-16,8-10Mountain West

Air Force

Boise St.

3/2/2024 5:34:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

BOISE, Idaho –Boise State women's basketball nearly overcame a 20-point deficit on Saturday, falling 67-66 to Air Force in ExtraMile Arena.

Trailing by 16 points entering the final frame, the Broncos (19-11, 10-7 Mountain West) stormed back and retook the lead, 62-61, following a Mya Hansen layup with 1:55 to go. Air Force's Milahnie Perry responded with a pair of free throws as the Falcons (15-16, 8-10 MW) retook the lead with 1:37 left.

Air Force held on to the lead until Hansen converted a layup with 20 seconds remaining to give Boise State a 64-63 advantage. On the other end, Perry drove to the basket and drew another foul, converting two more free throw attempts to take the lead with 16 seconds on the clock. Hansen responded again, finishing a left-handed layup with 9.6 seconds left as the Broncos once again held a one-point advantage.

Perry answered the call for Air Force, converting a shot over two Bronco defenders to give Air Force a 67-66 lead with 3.5 seconds remaining. Natalie Pasco missed a floater on the ensuing possession, and her putback attempt was a second after the buzzer sounded as Air Force claimed the victory.

Hansen led the way for the Broncos with a season-high 26 points, while Tatum Thompson finished with 10 points and nine rebounds.

The Falcons landed the first punch with an 11-2 lead, but the Broncos cut the score to 19-12 after the first stanza. Air Force continued the offensive attack, shooting 57.1% from the field and holding Boise State to six points in the second period to take a 36-18 halftime lead.

Hansen came out of the locker room aggressive, scoring 13 points in the third quarter. The Broncos however, couldn't put a dent in the Air Force lead and trailed 59-43 entering the final period.

Top Broncos

Mya Hansen scored 24 of her season-high 26 points in the second half. The sophomore shot 7-of-15 from the field, 2-of-4 from deep and converted 10 of her 12 free throw attempts.
Tatum Thompson finished a rebound short of a double-double, recording 10 points and a career-high nine boards.
Dani Bayes and Natalie Pasco both finished with eight points.

Notables

The Broncos slid to fourth place in the MW standings with the loss. Boise State holds a one-game lead over Colorado State, whom they play in the regular season finale on Tuesday, and San Diego State while sitting a game behind New Mexico and Wyoming.
Abby Muse moved into second place in program history with 890 career rebounds. The senior moved past Tricia Bader (1991-96) and Shalen Shaw (2014-18), who pulled down 887 and 888 career rebounds, respectively.
Mary Kay Naro also moved into a tie with current graduate assistant Jayde Christopher (2018-20) for the second-most assists in program history, finishing with 457.
Naro is also tied with Shalen Shaw for 10th in program history with 82 career blocks.
Mya Hansen became the fifth member on the team to surpass 500 career points, finishing with 506.
Hansen is the fourth Bronco to score 20+ points in a game, joining Natalie Pasco (five times), Dani Bayes and Tatum Thompson.
The Broncos made a season-high 27 free throws in the contest.
Seniors Kaitlin Burgess and Sydney McQuietor were honored in a Senior Day presentation prior to tipoff. The program also honored graduate assistants Rachel Bowers and Christopher, as well as manager Maggie Cornelius during the ceremony.

Quotables

"We didn't come out with the necessary enthusiasm to win the game early. We played hard in the second half. We made some offensive plays down the stretch, but we could not stop them." – head coach Gordy Presnell

What's Next

Boise State will conclude its regular season on Tuesday, March 5 in Fort Collins, Colo., against Colorado State. The Broncos hold a one-game lead over the Rams in the conference standings. The game will tip off at 6:30 p.m. MT and will be broadcast on the MW Network and on 670 KBOI AM.