The WNIT can be thanked for that.
Boise State (21-13) put together a fine season, albeit one without a title and exiting the Mountain West tourney in a tough semifinal loss to San Diego State. And the season, with the call from the WNIT unexpected or not, will continue with a first-round meeting against the Montana Lady Griz on Wednesday (3/20) evening.
The last time the Broncos participated in the WNIT was in 2008, where they defeated Idaho State before bowing out with a loss to TCU. This will be Boise State's third appearance, also playing in 1998 where they were defeated by LSU
Boise State has a long, storied rivalry dating back to the Big Sky days. But the two teams haven't met since the 2008-09 season, where Montana won by 21.
This isn't the main stage of the NCAA tournament but it's a chance for these Boise State players to gain valuable experience and playing time. A young nucleus has seen plenty of court action the last two seasons, and this opportunity can be useful in prepping the team for a special 2024-25.
First, the goal of closing out this season on a high note.
Boise State Broncos
The Broncos enter this game having lost four of their last six games, where three of those losses were by a combined 10 points
Boise State averages 64 points per game, allowing 58. The Broncos do have some struggles knocking down shots, shooting only 40.1 percent from the field (34.5 from beyond the arc). They also struggle at times with turnovers, giving the ball over 15 times per contest.
Defense and rebounding more than make up for deficiencies on offense. Opponents shoot 36.4 percent from the field and 28.2 percent from deep. Boise State averages 40.4 rebounds per game and block 6.2 shots.
Eight players average 4.3 points or more per game and team regularly plays 10 or 11 players. Natalie Pasco, a first-team all-conference selection, leads the team with 13 points per game. Pasco knocked down 81 three-pointers this season but did run into some struggles as of late. In her last six games, Pasco has scored only 41 points and is 7-27 on three-point attempts.
Mya Hansen scores a shade under 10 points per game and is shooting 41.3 percent from deep. Hansen can also dish, finishing with 98 assists, and finished the Mountain West tourney on a heater. In the last two games, she scored 39 points and dished out six assists.
Abby Muse, Mary Kay Naro, and Elodie Lalotte are a trio of seniors contributing and leading this team. Muse averages 7.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, adding 90 blocked shots for good measure. Naro leads the team in assists with 141, bringing her career total to 472. And Lalotte averages 7.1 points and 4.4 rebounds.
The bench is paced by Dani Bayes and Tatum Thompson, who combine to score 15.4 points. Trista Hull averages 4.3 points and 5.5 rebounds and has been on a tear the last four games. Hull has 27 points, 33 rebounds, and six blocked shots in this span.
Boise State and Montana shared common opponents this season. Each lost to Colorado State. The Broncos lost to Eastern Washington by 21, while Montana lost twice by a combined six points. Montana was also down in San Diego with the Broncos this season, where the Lady Griz went 2-0 while Boise State went 1-1.
Montana Lady Griz
Montana (22-9) finished third in the Big Sky and bowed out of the conference tournament in the semifinals, falling to Northern Arizona. The Lady Griz have won seven of their last nine games and boast an offense that loves to shoot the three-pointer.
The Lady Griz attempt a shade over 28 threes per game, making nearly 11. On the season, Montana shoots 43.1 percent from the field and 40.8 from deep. They rebound well, too, collecting 38.3 per game and commit 13 turnovers per contest.
Four players average in double figures, with a total of seven averaging 6.2 or more. Carmen Gfeller leads the way with 13.6 points, also collecting 6.1 rebounds. Gfeller has scored double figures in six of their last seven games, including 21 in the semifinal loss.
Maggie Espenmiller-McGraw has knocked down 75 threes and scores 11.8 points. Mack Konig is close behind at 11.5 points per game, averaging 20 in their last three. Konig also has 90 assists.
Leading the team in assists is Gina Marxen, who has 115. Marxen has knocked down 65 three-pointers and averages 10.3 points.
Rounding out the players to keep an eye on is Dani Bartsch, who averages 8.3 points and 10.4 rebounds. Bartsch has had trouble scoring in the last five games, scoring only eight points, but has rebounding with exceptional effort, collecting 63 in this same span.
This game will come down to how well the Broncos keep the Lady Griz off the boards and how well they contain Montana's outside shooting. Boise State has been very good at perimeter defense this season. And if the Broncos can reach their season averages from the field and limit turnovers, the second round could very well be in sight.
WNIT: Boise State vs Montana 3/20 @ 7 p.m. (MT). Stream the game on ESPN+
photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
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