Presnell Sets Mountain West Record with 23rd Tournament Win

Sunday, March 8

Las Vegas, Nev.

3:30 p.m. MT

Boise State

25-8,14-6Mountain West

New Mexico

22-10,14-6Mountain West

Boise St.

New Mexico

Presnell Sets Mountain West Record with 23rd Tournament Win

3/8/2026 7:21:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Gamebook

LAS VEGAS – No. 5 Boise State women's basketball edged No. 4 New Mexico, 62-61, in the quarterfinal round of the 2026 Credit Union 1 Mountain West Women's Basketball Championship on Sunday afternoon.

Head coach Gordy Presnell claimed sole ownership of the most tournament wins in MW history as he picked up his 23rd such victory of his career.

With the win, the Broncos (25-8, 14-6 MW) advance to the Mountain West Tournament semifinal for the ninth time in program history, while the Lobos conclude their season at 22-10 (14-6).

New Mexico won the opening tip, but Dani Bayes quickly put Boise State on the board with a 3-pointer at the 9:28 mark. Natalie Pasco followed with another triple to give the Broncos an early 6-0 lead. Cacia Antonio scored New Mexico's first points with a layup at 8:14.

Boise State then endured a two and a half minute scoring drought before Tatum Thompson converted an and one jumper. The Lobos experienced a similar stretch without points until Destinee Hooks broke through with back-to-back layups. Tatum Thompson added another jumper for Boise State, while Hooks continued to pace New Mexico with three more points. After an and one jumper from Maldonado and a jumper by Hooks, Mya Hansen knocked down a mid-range shot for the Broncos as Boise State closed the first quarter ahead 16-12.

Alyssa Hargrove opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to one. Libby Hutton answered on the next possession, drilling a shot as the shot clock expired to spark a 7-0 Boise State run.

The Broncos held the Lobos scoreless for nearly three minutes until Hargrove connected on a jumper. Hansen ended Boise State's own four-minute scoring drought with a 3-pointer, and Pasco followed immediately with another from deep to extend the lead to 29-17 with 3:09 remaining in the half.

Hooks answered with a jumper for New Mexico, but Hansen responded moments later. Pasco added another bucket before Hargrove knocked down her second three of the quarter. Freshman Mason Borcherding contributed a late jumper and Bayes capped the half with a block on Laila Abdurraqib as time expired, sending Boise State into halftime with a 35-26 lead.

New Mexico opened the third quarter with back-to-back layups from Jessie Joaquim and Antonio. Bayes answered with a jumper, but Hooks finished inside to cut the deficit to five. Borcherding then scored on consecutive layups, pushing Boise State back to a double-digit lead.

Hooks and Abdurraqib each added layups for the Lobos, while Tatum Thompson countered with a jumper. Emma Najjuma scored inside to bring New Mexico within five at 44-39. Bayes responded with another jumper before Hargrove added one of her own, as Boise State maintained a 46-42 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Borcherding opened the final period with an and one jumper at the 8:30 mark. Antonio answered with two field goals to tie the game at 48-48, beginning a back-and-forth stretch that saw the lead change five times.

Hooks tied the game again at 55-55 before Pasco drilled a clutch 3-pointer to put Boise State back in front. Hooks responded with four straight points, giving New Mexico a 61-58 advantage late.

Bayes converted two free throws to trim the deficit to one and with six seconds remaining, Tatum Thompson knocked down a jumper to lift Boise State to a dramatic 62-61 victory.

Top Broncos

Dani Bayes notched 15 points, four assists and three blocks.
Tatum Thompson collected 13 points and eight rebounds.
Natalie Pasco tallied 11 points.

Notables

Head coach Gordy Presnell claimed sole ownership of the most tournament wins in Mountain West history. He has notched 23 tournament victories in his career, passing former New Mexico head coach Don Flanagan with 22.
Boise State will make its ninth appearance in the semifinals of the MW Tournament.
The Broncos are 11-0 this season when holding a four-plus point lead at the end of the first quarter.
Boise State improved to 21-0 this season when leading by at least three points entering the fourth quarter.
The Broncos shot held a 75% field goal percentage in the fourth quarter, the highest of the season.
Boise State won its 20th game all-time over New Mexico, improving the series record to 20-12.
The Broncos improve to 7-3 in their blue uniforms.
Boise State earned just their fifth win of the season when being outrebounded by the opponent.
Dani Bayes, Natalie Pasco and Tatum Thompson all scored in double figures for the 11th time this season, the most by any MW trio. This also marks the most times the feat has been achieved in a single season by a Boise State trio since 1999-2000.
Bayes collected a career-high three blocks.
The Broncos are now 21-4 this season when Bayes makes at least one 3-pointer.
Mason Borchering notched a career-high eight points.
Borcherding put up a career-high eight rebounds.
Borcherding collected a career-high four field goals.
Libby Hutton notched just her second 3-pointer of the season.

Quotables
"I'm so happy for our seniors and Coach Presnell," assistant coach Mike Petrino said. "The resiliency and toughness of our players to have a great start, get a lead, lose the lead and bounce back was just amazing. Coach Presnell has a great message pregame. He said that we are going to stand up in hard moments. And we stood up."

What's Next

No. 5 Boise State will play No. 9 Air Force on Monday, March 9 at 6 p.m. MT in the semifinal round of the 2026 Credit Union 1 Mountain West Women's Basketball Championship.