Broncos Drop Heartbreaker to UNLV

Saturday, January 4

Boise, Idaho

6 p.m. MT

Boise State

11-5,1-2Mountain West

UNLV

11-4,3-0Mountain West

UNLV

Boise St.

Photo by: Luke Retana

1/4/2025 8:37:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Gamebook Photos Highlights Photo Gallery

BOISE, Idaho – Boise State women's basketball came up just short Saturday night, losing 61-57 to UNLV Saturday night at ExtraMile Arena.

The Broncos (11-5, 1-2 Mountain West) led 43-36 heading into the final frame, but the Lady Rebels (11-4, 3-0 MW) opened the quarter with a 10-2 run to retake the lead. Boise State briefly held a one-point advantage with a bucket from Elodie Lalotte with 1:44 left on the clock, but UNLV answered with a basket and two free throws on its next two possessions.

Trailing 57-54 with 29 seconds left, Dani Bayes was unable to convert a running layup. In the scramble for a rebound, the Lady Rebels called a timeout to gain possession with 14 seconds left and secure the game from the free throw line.
Mya Hansen scored a team-high 17 points off the bench in the loss, making seven of her 13 field goal attempts and shooting 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. Lalotte shot 6-of-9 from the field and added 12 points for the Blue and Orange.

Boise State got off to a hot start in the contest, outshooting UNLV 61.5% to 26.7% in the opening frame to take a 17-11 advantage. The Lady Rebels jumped out to a quick start in the second stanza, utilizing a 9-2 run to take a 20-19 lead midway through the quarter. Boise State shot only 2-of-17 from the floor in the period, but only trailed 26-23 at the halftime break.

The Broncos struggled to score to start the second half, generating only five points in the first five minutes. Hansen broke the scoring drought, drilling a 3-pointer from the top of the key to give her squad a 30-28 lead. That basket opened the floodgates, prompting a 17-6 Bronco run to end the quarter as Boise State took a 43-36 lead into the final frame.
Top Broncos
- Mya Hansen scored a team-high 17 points in the loss. The junior shot 7-of-13 from the field and 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. Ten of her 17 points came in the third quarter.
- Elodie Lalotte added 12 points and four rebounds in the contest.
- Natalie Pasco finished with nine points on 4-of-8 shooting.

Notables
- Abby Muse became the program's all-time rebound leader, finishing with 1,030 career rebounds. The Brentwood, Calif., native broke a 43-year old record held by Karla Meier (1977-82), who corralled 1,025 career boards over her career.
- The Broncos suffered their first home loss of the season.
- Boise State's reserves scored over 30 points for the 10th time this season.
- Mya Hansen's 17-point performance marks the 13th time this season a Bronco has scored over 15 points. Seven different Broncos have contributed to the accomplishment.
- Hansen drilled 3+ long balls for the 11th time in her career.
- Tatum Thompson reached 500 career points in the contest.
- Assistant coach Heather Sower coached her 700th game as a coach for the Broncos. As a coach, Sower has garnered a (395-305) record with the Broncos. Factoring in her time as a player, Sower has been a member of the program for 54.1% of its games.
- The contest was the 1,500th game in program history. Boise State as a program holds a record of 843-657 (56.2%).

Quotables
"We had some chances. We had the lead early on in the fourth. UNLV played with a lot of confidence down the stretch. We had some trouble finding some balance in our scoring. We didn't get to the foul line that much. Elodie was really big tonight. It's one of those games." – head coach Gordy Presnell
"We played with some intensity and some fire and if we play with that fire we can be pretty successful. We have to bring that every night. We did it tonight against the three-time defending conference champs. We have to keep that up moving forward." – Presnell

"It's a pretty special accomplishment. Obviously, winning is more important and I wish we could have pulled this one out. The milestones aren't why I'm here, but it is pretty special." – Abby Muse on becoming the program's all-time leading rebounder.

What's Next
The Broncos will play the first of two road games on Wednesday, Jan. 8, against Utah State in Logan, Utah. The game will tip off at 6 p.m. MT and will be broadcast on the MW Network and 670 KBOI AM.