Unfortunately, the Broncos (9-5, 0-1) had one of their worst shooting games of the season, falling to the Cowgirls 61-47 on Saturday.
The second half proved to be the true undoing from the field for Boise State. The Broncos started 1-7 to open the third quarter, finishing the frame 6-23. A fourth quarter warming spell never happened, and Boise State finished the second half shooting only 25 percent (10-40) from the field, including a frigid 0-12 from three-point range.
Close range was a problem, with some easy looks not falling. Wyoming did execute a stifling defense but no one on Boise State was able to get going. Starting guards Mary Kay Naro and Mya Hansen were a combined 3-17 and Dani Bayes off the bench was 3-9.
Natalie Pasco had a team-high 13 points but no one else on the Broncos managed to reach double figures.
Entering the game, Wyoming (6-6, 1-0) was shooting only 27 percent from three-point range on the season. The Cowgirls managed to shoot a respectable 37.5 percent (6-16) from deep against Boise State.
McKinley Dickerson had a game-high 16 points for the Cowgirls, with Tess Barnes adding 13, and Malene Pedersen 11. The three combined to hit five of Wyoming's six 3-pointers.
First half back-and-forth
The early going had all the makings of a back-and-forth game. There were three lead changes and four ties, with Wyoming using an 11-0 run to build an eight point lead. It was a lead they would never relinquish.
Abby Muse scored the first four points for the Broncos, helping lay the foundation for an early 11-8 lead. A game plan seemed to point to Boise State getting Muse going. And while there were great looks early, Muse finished with only six points on 3-9 shooting.
Pasco scored five straight points to end the quarter, bringing the Broncos to within three at 19-16.
The teams traded baskets and missed shots through much of the first portion of the second quarter.
A jumper by Linsey Lovrovich brought Boise State to within one at 25-24. The Cowgirls, however, responded with a 7-2 run to close the half and the one-point Bronco deficit was the closest Boise State would get the rest of the game.
Cold front moves in for second half
Considering the Broncos had only two turnovers in the second half, one would have hoped Boise State could have climbed back in the game.
Ball movement was good on offense and the Broncos did good looks. They even had plenty of opportunities with 14 offensive rebounds. It was one of those games where shots weren't falling and, when a second half run looked inevitable, Wyoming responded with back-to-back successful possessions.
Free throws played a big part, with Boise State only getting to the line four times (converting twice) while Wyoming was 9-16.
Boise State's defense did hold Wyoming to under 40 percent from the field in the second half and forced 14 turnovers overall. And they did a good job, alongside some foul trouble, in holding Wyoming leading scorer Allyson Fertig to seven points.
Muse, Bayes, and Elodie Lalotte all had six points for the Broncos. Lalotte led Boise State with eight rebounds and Muse collected six.
The cold front, especially from deep (1-17 overall) was a little surprising, considering the good shooters this team has. Converting more inside will help loosen things up from the outside and hopefully it's a problem solved before the Broncos get too deep, and too far behind, in conference play.
Boise State will look to bounce back on Wednesday (1/3/24) when they host the Nevada Wolf Pack, who lost to New Mexico by 10 in their conference-opener on Saturday.
photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
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