Action begins for the Mountain West Conference women's tournament on March 5, with three games tipping off to complete the quarterfinal field.
A difficult climb lies ahead for the Boise State Broncos women's basketball team as they look to win their sixth Mountain West Conference tournament title under head coach Gordy Presnell.
That's not to say the task is impossible.
Aside from a dominant UNLV team, the Mountain West was a very competitive conference in 2022-23. So much, in fact, that seeds two thru six for the tournament weren't determined until the final days.
Boise State (16-15, 11-7) had a chance to secure a coveted first-round bye in the final regular season game. A victory did not come to fruition, however, in a tough road loss to the Colorado State Rams (19-10, 12-6).
A middle portion of the 1st-half, the end of the 1st quarter and start of the second, led to the 66-51 loss to the Rams. This outcome bumped the Broncos to the sixth-seed and elevated the Rams to the third-seed for the MWC tournament.
The Broncos enter the tournament having won seven of their last nine games and are an impressive 8-2 in Mountain West games decided by 10 points or less. Boise State opens tourney play on March 5 at 8 p.m. (MT) against the 11th-seed Utah State Aggies.
Boise State vs Utah State
Boise State won both of their games against the Utah State Aggies (4-25, 1-17) during the regular season. The Aggies lone conference victory was a 10-point win at Fresno State, and they are a team with a somewhat depleted roster.
Still, the first meeting between the two was a close affair until a 26-point fourth quarter propelled the Broncos to a 73-56 victory. In that game, junior guard Mary Kay Naro had 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists to pace Boise State, with junior Anna Ostlie adding 12 (on 4-7 from 3-point range).
Boise State shot 38.7 percent from the field (9-28 from deep) while holding the Aggies to 2-16 on three-point attempts and 30.5 percent overall.
Game two was a Boise State rout, in which the Broncos led from start to finish in a 89-41 victory. Freshman Natalie Pasco had a career-game, dropping 29 points. Tatum Thompson had 13 and Ostlie knocked down three 3's. Elodie Lalotte and Abby Muse combined for 13 points and 19 rebounds.
The Broncos were lights out that game, shooting 47.2 percent and hitting on 12-26 from deep, though they did have 22 turnovers. The Aggies were even more frigid in this game than the first, hitting on only 1-22 from deep and 22.4 percent from the field.
A huge exclamation in this game was a 64-26 rebounding advantage for Boise State.
Tamiah Robinson had 14 points in the first meeting and 10 in the second. Prima Chellis had 11 points and 7 rebounds in the first game and did not play in the second. Chellis is no longer listed on the Utah State roster.
Maria Carvalho is the Aggies leading scorer at 10.9 points per game. Carvalho did not play in the first meeting and had only four points on 2-8 shooting in the second.
Boise State stat leaders
Defense has been the name of the game for the Broncos in 2022-23. Much of that has to do shot-blocking master Abby Muse in the paint.
Muse, a junior, already is the all-time shot block leader for Boise State and has a single-season recorder that continues to climb, currently sitting at 89.
This is not the only reason for Boise State's stellar defense but it certainly helps. The Broncos hold opponents to 62.9 points per game. Opponent field goal percentage is at 36.9 percent, with threes only falling at a 30 percent clip.
A plus seven rebounding advantage also helps, with Muse (8.6 rpg) leading the way there, too. Lalotte is up next at 6.6 per game, with Tricia Hull pulling down 4.4 off the bench.
Solid play on defense helps make up for an offense that sometimes struggles and gets the Broncos in trouble with careless play and long stretches without field goals. That said, any number of players can lead Boise State in scoring on any given night.
Lalotte (10.2) and Muse (9.2) are usually the most consistent of the bunch but if the guards get into a zone, as proven by Pasco, huge nights follow.
Maya Hansen averages 8.7 but is rounding back into shape after an injury sidelined for parts of February. Dani Bayes (8.2) and Pasco (8.0) both shine in their roles with Ostlie (5.8), Thompson (5.8) and Naro (5.1) all capable of scoring in double figures.
Ostlie has connected on 34 three-pointers (38.6 percent), third behind Pasco, who hit 42 at 35.9 percent, and Bayes with 49 (36 percent).
Boise State averages 66.4 points per game while shooting 41 percent from the field and 34.2 from deep. The Broncos also commit nearly 17 turnovers per game, a number that will need to remain under 12 or 13 if they hope to win the tournament.
MWC tourney preview
UNLV (28-2, 18-0) enters the Mountain West tournament as a clear favorite. The Rebels are ranked 22nd in the nation. And while they do have the hot hand, UNLV was tested on a few occasions this season.
The most recent was a five-point victory over the Nevada Wolf Pack (9-20, 6-12) to close out the regular season. UNLV's two victories over Colorado State were by a combined eight points and the Rebels twice had close meetings with San Diego State, with both games won by six points.
UNLV is the defending tournament champ, picking up their first title last season with a victory over Colorado State.
Sandwiched in-between these teams in this year's seeding is Wyoming (20-9, 13-5). The Cowgirls fell by six points to UNLV in the teams' lone meeting this season.
The Aztecs (fifth seed) and New Mexico Lobos (fourth seed) each went 12-6 in conference and round out the five teams who received first-round byes.
All seven of Boise State's conference losses this season are to teams ranked ahead of them, with victories over San Diego State and New Mexico.
Boise State vs Utah State will be the third of three games on Sunday. If they win, they will face the Rams on Monday night at 8:30 (MT).
Photo from Public Domain Pictures
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