A defensive beast truly awakened in the Boise State Broncos women's basketball team this week.
The fire within exploded halfway through the third quarter in Wednesday's victory over the San Jose State Spartans. Tied at 33, Boise State went on a 40-9 run to close the game (and allowed only 13 points in the second half).
Effort was just as active and energetic on Saturday in Boise, where the Broncos (16-8, 7-4) took down the second-place Wyoming Cowgirls, 56-42.
This was the third-straight victory for Boise State, who remains in fourth-place in the Mountain West and still within striking distance of the three teams in front of them.
Defense has been a driving factor in the team's success this season. And it was on full display against Wyoming (14-9, 9-3), holding the Cowgirls to 33 percent shooting from the field while forcing 18 turnovers.
Boise State made it a point to keep Wyoming's strong post play at bay and did so with much success. Elodie Lalotte and Abby Muse both made their presence felt, with Lalotte finishing with four steals and Muse three. The two also combined for three blocked shots and 13 rebounds.
Trista Hull also had her say in things on that end of the court, helping execute a game plan that saw Wyoming's leading scorer Allyson Fertig held to two points on 0-5 shooting.
Fertig's points came on two free throws with just over a minute to play. She entered the game averaging 13.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per game and shooting 60.6 percent from the field.
The Broncos were led by Natalie Pasco, who scored 13 points, with Mya Hansen adding 11. Boise State had plenty of contributors, overcoming a cold-shooting second half to pick up the victory at home.
First half: Broncos fast first quarter
Looking to avenge an earlier loss to Wyoming, a cold-shooting affair to close 2023, the Broncos started slow in the game's first few minutes.
Boise State didn't score their first points until the 6:37 mark with a bucket by Pasco. The good thing? The Broncos held Wyoming to only two points prior to that point, so no real harm was done.
Pasco scored the team's first seven points and the two squads exchanged buckets and were tied at 12 with 1:31 left in the first quarter.
That was the closest Wyoming would get for the remainder of the game.
The Broncos knocked down four 3-pointers in the first quarter (on six attempts), building their lead out to eight by the end of the frame. It swelled to as big as 13, thanks to timely shooting, impressive defense, and the most important thing: taking care of the ball.
Boise State committed only five turnovers in the first half and shot a shade under 50 percent in taking a 34-25 halftime lead.
Pasco had 11 points in the first half and eight of the nine Broncos who played found the scoring column.
Second half: Boise State digs in
Offense efficiency continued for Boise State to start the second half, with the Broncos hitting their first three shots. A Hansen jumper from the elbow gave Boise State a 40-25 lead.
From there, though, defense for both teams ramped up. The teams combined for only 14 points the last eight minutes of the third quarter, with Boise State heading into the final frame with a comfortable 13-point lead.
Boise State's defense continued to get the job done, keeping the Cowgirls without any points until 3:16 was left in the game. Prior to Wyoming finally scoring, the Broncos found their biggest lead at 52-33 thanks to a layup by Hull.
Wyoming was only 6-21 from the field in the second half, finding no easy looks on most occasions. The Broncos were pesky all game, finding the right moments to double team in the post and make things difficult for the Cowgirls.
Malene Pedersen had a game-high 16 points for Wyoming, with Marta Savic adding 10. The two were a combined 10-18 from the field, with the rest of the team only shooting 6-30.
Hull added eight points for Boise State, scoring six in the second half. Thompson had seven and collected a career-high eight rebounds.
Mary Kay Naro dished out five assists, giving her four straight seasons with at least 100. Naro is now 18 assists away from passing Tricia Bader for third-place on the Bronco all-time assists list.
Boise State continues to play well in building towards the season's end. There is still not a lot of separation between the conference's top seven teams, so there is no guarantee of a first-round bye for the Broncos in the conference tournament. But continuing to play defense at this elite level will get Boise State a lot closer to where they want to be come March.
photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
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