Likely only needing to win once in their final three games to secure a first-round bye in the Mountain West Conference tournament, the Broncos placed a goose egg in the win column. Three games with three different situations, all with the same outcome.
Boise State (19-12, 10-8) put up a deflating effort on offense in closing out the regular season, falling to the Colorado State Rams on the road in a 64-50 loss.
This after a week in which they nearly upset the UNLV Lady Rebels, leading heading into the fourth before falling by six. Then, a game against Air Force in which the Broncos trailed by 16, found a way to take the lead in the closing moments, only to lose 67-66.
The ramifications provided the worst possible scenario. Their loss, coupled with a win by Nevada, gave the 4th seed to the Wolf Pack. The Rams take the fifth seed, and the Broncos dropped all the way to the sixth seed for the upcoming Mountain West tournament.
Meaning the road to a title just got that much harder.
On four separate occasions, one stretch in each quarter, Boise State went nearly five minutes (or more) without scoring a point. The Rams did ramp up the defensive intensity, but Boise State failed to get into a rhythm most of the game.
Boise State was 20-59 on field goal attempts, connecting on 4-16 from three-point range. The Broncos also committed 15 turnovers, often forcing the ball inside when the option simply wasn't there.
Of the 11 players who played for Boise State, 10 found the scoring column. However, none reached double figures. Trista Hull led the way with nine points and Mya Hansen, after scoring 26 in the loss to Air Force, scored eight.
Leading scorer Natalie Pasco was held to five points on 2-8 shooting.
It was a game where Boise State was cold from the get-go, missing shots and often doing so in wild fashion.
First half
Colorado State (19-10, 10-8) started out fast, building an early nine-point lead. Boise State battled back, taking a 10-9 lead off a Hansen old fashioned three-point play. Dani Bayes capped an 8-0 run with a bucket, giving the Broncos a 12-9 lead.
This would be the last Boise State lead of the game.
A scoreless stretch of 5:29 hampered the Broncos but their defense kept the Rams contained. A three-point play by Hull, off a nice pass from Linsey Lovrovich, brought Boise State to within one at 16-15.
And from there, it was all Colorado State. The Broncos went nearly five more minutes without points and headed into the locker room trailing 32-24.
Hull had five points in the first half, with Tatum Thompson adding four.
Second half
Boise State did a better job of rebounding in the second half. And, after a jumpy start, had only six turnovers. But the lid never really opened up and an early 9-0 run by the Rams put Colorado State up 45-28.
A quick 7-0 run by the Broncos provided a little light, with a Lovrovich basket, Hansen three-pointer, and Hull free throws. But Colorado State responded, taking their lead back to 13 after three quarters.
Colorado State eventually stretched their lead to 20 with Boise State unable to string together much of anything.
Three players did most of the damage for the Rams. Marta Leimane had 21 points on 10-14 shooting with six rebounds. Senior star McKenna Hofschild added 19 points and six assists, with Cailyn Crocker scoring 10 on a perfect 4-4 from the field.
The Rams committed only 10 turnovers and shot 43.1 percent.
Thompson scored six for the Broncos but was only 2-11 from the field. Lovrovich had a nice game on both ends of the court, finishing with four points, four rebounds, and two assists.
Hull and Thompson each had six rebounds, with Abby Muse adding five. Hansen led the Broncos with four assists.
A disappointing way to end the regular season, where the Broncos ran a gamut of emotions in all three losses. Boise State will open Mountain West tournament play on Sunday, facing Utah State at 8 p.m. MT.
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