Second Half Thriller Propels Boise State to Victory

Saturday, January 10

Boise, Idaho

1 p.m.

Boise State

12-5,3-3Mountain West

Colorado State

13-4,4-2Mountain West

Colorado St.

Boise St.

1/10/2026 4:15:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Gamebook

BOISE, Idaho – Boise State defeated Colorado State 62-59 in a comeback thriller, Saturday afternoon.

The Broncos ended the Ram's 12-road game winning streak as Dani Bayes, Libby Hutton and Tatum Thompson put up 52 points together. Bayes also secured her first-career double-double in the victory.

Bayes opened up the scoring, knocking down a 3-pointer just 12 seconds after the tip. Colorado State quickly answered, as Madelyn Bragg converted a layup to spark an 8-0 Rams run that stretched over three minutes. Boise State struggled offensively early, going more than five minutes without a field goal, with free throws providing its only points during the stretch.

Tatum Thompson finally ended the drought with a layup at the 3:24 mark and added a jumper before the buzzer, trimming the deficit to 21-14 at the end of the first quarter. Colorado State's starting five carried the scoring load early, accounting for 18 of the Rams' 21 points in the opening quarter.

The second quarter opened with Colorado State's McKenna Murphy drilling a three just seven seconds in. Bayes answered from beyond the arc at 8:53 and Tatum Thompson followed with another strong take to the basket. Hannah Ronsiek connected on a three for the Rams, only to see Mya Hansen respond with a jumper on the other end.

Both teams then went cold, as Boise State endured a two and a half minute scoreless stretch while Colorado State was held without a basket for more than three minutes. Tatum Thompson broke the Broncos' drought with a jumper and Ronsiek ended Colorado State's with a triple.

The Rams would go scoreless for three minutes once more before Lexus Bargesser found the net late in the quarter. Colorado State carried a 33-27 advantage into halftime. At the break, Tatum Thompson and Ronsiek were the only players in double figures, scoring 10 and 11 points, respectively.

The third quarter opened with Natalie Pasco burying her first three-pointer of the game at 9:06. Boise State responded with an 8-0 run over nearly five minutes, highlighted by a Libby Hutton layup that gave the Broncos their first lead since early in the opening quarter.

Marta Leimane tied the game at 38 with a three, but Hutton answered again with another layup. Bragg tied things up with a layup, Tatum Thompson responded with a jumper and Bragg tied it once more. Tatum Thompson closed the quarter by sinking two free throws, giving Boise State a narrow 44-42 edge heading into the fourth quarter.

Bargesser opened the final period with a basket for Colorado State, but Thompson scored with a layup to keep Boise State within reach. After Brooke Carlson scored on back-to-back possessions to push the Rams ahead 51-48, Tatum Thompson answered yet again.

A Jadyn Fife jumper snapped a two minute Colorado State scoring drought, followed by a Bayes jumper. Hansen then electrified the crowd with a 3-pointer to put Boise State back in front, 55-53. Tatum Thompson followed with a deep three of her own, capping an 8-0 Broncos run. Murphy ended the run with a three, but Tatum Thompson struck again to extend the lead to 60-56.

Bargesser answered with a triple to make it a one-point game before a clutch layup from Pasco pushed Boise State ahead 62-59. The game was capped by a massive Hutton block on a Colorado State 3-point attempt, preserving the Broncos' lead late. Boise State took a 62-59 victory over the Rams.

Top Broncos

Tatum Thompson scored 25 points and seven rebounds.
Libby Hutton tallied 15 points and six rebounds.
Dani Bayes notched 12 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.

Notables

Dani Bayes collected her first double-double of her career.
Bayes recorded a career-high 11 rebounds.
Mason Borcherding matched a career-high two assists.
Mya Hansen is now tied for 15th in program history for career 3-pointers made with 132. She shares the spot with Angie Evans (1990-94).
The Broncos collected a season-high 19 second-chance points.
Boise State has won its first game over Colorado State since Jan. 22, 2022 when the Broncos took a 69-64 victory. Colorado State still leads the all-time series 18-15.
Boise State handed Colorado State its first road loss in 12 games and its first of the season. This marked Colorado State's first road loss since Jan. 8, 2025 when the Rams lost to UNLV 70-61.

Quotables

"It was a great win for us against an incredibly great team," head coach Gordy Presnell said. "It was a very complete team win. We were intense today and we played great basketball. I am really proud of our team and their resilience. We now need to get ready for Wyoming but are enjoying tonight."
"We have been in a lot of those situations [close games] in the past and they haven't gone the way we wanted to," senior Dani Bayes said. "We finally put everything we have learned together. I am also so proud of Libby. She fits into the starter group so awesome and makes critical plays that save all of us. I am so proud of her and how this team fought today."

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