Early lead. Hand it over and spend the game playing catchup. Finally find a fourth quarter lead. The steps were all there for the Broncos. The only difference than the Boise State quarterfinal victory was the San Diego Aztecs had different ideas in mind.
Boise State (21-13) was held without a field goal for the final 3:58 and the Aztecs (22-12) used late free throws to pick up a 72-69 victory.
The Broncos battled all the way back from being down by as many as 13, taking a 67-65 lead with 2:35 left on two Mya Hansen free throws. Turnovers, iffy foul calls, and bad shots doomed Boise State down the stretch. Despite this, they stayed in it by holding the Aztecs to no field goals the last 2:09.
San Diego State hit their free throws down the stretch and did just enough to reach the Mountain West Conference tournament final. There, they will face the top seed UNLV Lady Rebels, who defeated Colorado State earlier in the day.
Turnovers again were a main story for the Broncos, committing 20. The Aztecs had a good game plan of jumping Boise State ball handlers, forcing too many mistakes. This in a game where the Broncos shot the ball decently at 46.3 percent, collecting assists on 22 of their 25 made field goal attempts.
Hansen continued her strong tournament play, finishing with a team-high 19 points, adding two assists and only one turnover.
The Broncos didn't have much of an answer for Adryana Quezada, who finished with a game-high 26 points on 8-11 shooting (and 10-12 from the charity stripe).
While Boise State was turning the ball over, San Diego State finished with only nine, including just one in building a first half lead.
First half
Boise State started out strong, racing out to a 4-0 lead. The Broncos hit five of their first seven shots and led by four with just over four minutes left in the first quarter.
San Diego State picked things up, going on a 10-3 run that wrapped into the second quarter. A Hansen three-pointer tied the game at 18 but the Aztecs went on an 8-0 run to provide breathing room.
Both Abby Muse and Hansen picked up their second fouls within 30 seconds of one another, helping San Diego State with the run. Boise State was able to close within two at the 1:55 mark but went scoreless the rest of the half and trailed by seven heading into the break.
Elodie Lalotte had a nice first half, finishing with eight points. Quezada had nine for the Aztecs, with Kim Villalobos chipping in eight.
Second half
The Broncos arrived in quick fashion to start the third, with a Hansen jumper and a three-pointer from Mary Kay Naro. A quick timeout by San Diego State calmed things for the Aztecs, and they responded with an 8-0 run.
San Diego State stretched their lead to 55-42 on a Jada Lewis three-pointer with 2:26 left in the third quarter.
Boise State was not done yet, amping up the intensity on both ends of the court. The result was a 9-1 run to close the quarter, buoyed by the play of Trista Hull.
The run continued into the fourth quarter, with the Broncos using a 7-1 run to jumpstart the quarter. Tatum Thompson hit a bucket, followed by a Natalie Pasco three and Hull free throw line jumper to tie the score at 58.
Lalotte picked up her fourth and fifth fouls in a span of 21 seconds (the latter on one of many iffy foul calls all night), fouling out with 6:28 left.
The teams locked in defensively, with the two free throws by Hansen giving the Broncos their first lead since the first quarter.
From there, San Diego State managed to get to the line more, outlasting a gritty Boise State effort.
Dani Bayes finished with nine points and Hull was among four Broncos who scored eight (plus eight rebounds and two blocked shots). Lalotte, Muse, and Pasco all finished with eight, while Naro had six points, seven assists, and five turnovers.
Lewis finished with 12 points and Villalobos 11 for the Aztecs. Abby Prohaska finished with nine points, eight rebounds, three steals, and three assists.
Boise State, while the loss is a disappointing one, has a lot to be proud of this season. The ultimate goal wasn't achieved but this team has a lot of players who should be coming back in 2024-25. And, with any luck, they can once again find themselves on top of the Mountain West.
photo credit: Jason Haskins
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