Boise State (13-6, 4-2) welcomes the UNLV Lady Rebels to town. The belle of the conference the last couple of seasons, UNLV had a 29-game conference win streak snapped last Saturday, falling at home to New Mexico 69-66.
A loss last week by previously undefeated Wyoming, also to New Mexico, meant the gap between Boise State and the top teams shrunk to one. The Broncos helped their own cause by taking care of business, picking up a road win at San Jose State and a home victory against the Utah State Aggies. Two games they were expected to win but both very much trap opportunities.
Against the Spartans, Boise State received all they could handle, holding on for a 68-64 win. The Broncos started fast, racing to a 22-6 lead and had to hold on for that victory. Turnovers (20) nearly did Boise State in and were paced by Natalie Pasco (18 points), Elodie Lalotte (17), and Mya Hansen (12).
It was a much easier affair last Saturday, despite a harrowing first five minutes. The Aggies held an early lead, but Boise State righted the ship, putting the game away with a 26-0 run in the second quarter. In the 76-41 victory, 11 different Boise State players scored. Dani Bayes had 16 points off the bench, with Abby Muse scoring 15 and Tatum Thompson 12.
Close to perfection, and taking care of the ball, will be needed against UNLV. A victory will cement the Broncos as serious contenders to the throne as they aim to say in the mix for a conference title. Despite the impressive win streak, the Broncos, I believe, still haven't put together a stellar game from start to finish. Something they have two more chances to do this week.
Boise State vs UNLV
Boasting one of the top players in the Mountain West Conference, the UNLV Lady Rebels (15-2, 5-1) offense will give Boise State's interior defense all they can handle on Wednesday night. Though the likes of Muse, Lalotte, and company can dig in, I wonder if the Broncos will focus on playing more zone defense, at least in the early going.
Desi-Rae Young is averaging 19.6 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. Young is shooting 56.4 percent from the field and can also stretch the floor. More impressive is that Young has recorded a double-double in three straight games and is averaging 23 points and 10.3 rebounds in conference play.
Guard Kiara Jackson drops 12.2 points per contest while dishing out 5.1 assists. Jackson has deadly range, shooting 48.8 percent from beyond the arc, which may prevent Boise State from playing too much zone.
UNLV has both big wins (39 over Utah State, 36 over San Jose State) and close wins (5 against Colorado State, 7 versus San Diego State) among their conference victories. The Lady Rebels average 80.9 points, scoring 70+ in four of their conference games while turning the ball over roughly 11 times per contest.
This is a big game for both teams, as currently only two games separate the top six teams in this conference. A win would be huge for Boise State, who has dropped five straight to UNLV. Tip-off is slated for 6:30 p.m. (MT) on 1/24.
Broncos at Aztecs
In the first meeting this season between the teams, Boise State scorched the San Diego State Aztecs (12-8, 3-4) in the first half in building a 40-19 lead. The Broncos cooled down in the third and fourth quarters, settling for a 68-59 win.
Pasco led the Broncos with 15 points and Lalotte added 12. Bayes scored 10 while Muse pulled down 16 rebounds, helping pace the Broncos to a 13-rebound advantage.
Kim Villalobos notched a double-double that game with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Sarah Barcello added 11. The Aztecs only committed eight turnovers that game but shot 35.2 percent from the field and were 6-30 from deep.
The Aztecs had lost four of five before picking up a 63-51 victory last Saturday against San Jose State. Four players have a scoring average in double figures for San Diego State and three of them pull down at least six rebounds per game.
Adryana Quezada leads in both, with 14.7 points and 6.6 rebounds. Quezada was held to only six and six, respectively, in the first meeting.
Abby Prohaska, who missed the last game against the Broncos, scores 11.2 and pulls down 6.2 boards. Villalobos averages 10.6 points and 6.2 rebounds, with Jada Levi rounding out the group with 100.3 points.
Levi shot 4-12 from the field (1-7 from deep) in scoring nine points in the first meeting.
The two teams are pretty similar and, in the first meeting, the Broncos played their best half of basketball this season in building the large lead. More of that would be nice but I expect a defensive battle between the two teams on Saturday (1/27) at 2 p.m. (MT).
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photo credit: Jason Haskins
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