Buoyed by a stingy fourth quarter defense that forced 10 turnovers, Boise State snapped a five-game losing streak with a 78-73 victory over the Wyoming Cowgirls.
This Wyoming squad started the Bronco skid with a 34-point victory in Laramie on February 1. Since, Boise State (16-12, 6-9) found the win column evasive, losing by an average of just under six points per contest.
Relief is an understatement to define the feeling of Boise State getting back into the win column. With now only three games left on the regular season schedule, it was a much-needed victory.
After three quarters of offense from the two teams in tonight's game, Boise State's defense took over in the fourth. Not only did they force turnovers, but the Broncos held Wyoming to a 1-11 performance from the field in the fourth.
The Broncos also capitalized at the charity stripe, knocking down all eight of their free throw attempts in the quarter. Boise was 12 of 13 from the line in the second half and 16 of 18 overall.
Tatum Thompson tied a season-high with 25 points, adding a team-high nine rebounds. Dani Bayes scored 21, combining with Thompson to shoot 17 of 26 from the field.
Natalie Pasco also reached double figures, scoring 14.
Wyoming (16-10, 10-4), who had five-game winning streak snapped, placed four players in double figures. Emily Mellema led the way with 18 and Allyson Fertig posted a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
One of the keys was the Bronco defense attacking Fertig with a double team, limiting the all-conference player to only four points after the first quarter.
Broncos competitive first half
Bayes started the game nicely, scoring Boise State's first four points. Fertig matched that effort, however, keying an early 6-0 mini-run by the Cowgirls.
A reverse layup by Pasco brought the Broncos within one at 11-10 but Wyoming rattled off a 10-0 and shades of the game in Laramie crept in. Worse, Mya Hansen picked up an early second foul towards the end of the first quarter.
Still, Boise State battled and cut the lead to seven heading into the second quarter. Fertig was nearly flawless in the first frame with 11 points, three rebounds, and two assists.
The bench saw a lot of action in the second quarter for Boise State. Players like Jayda Clark, Libby Hutton, and Milly Sharp helped spark the Broncos on defense, which turned to offense for each. Clark hit a pair of free throws, Hutton scored a bucket, and Sharp had a nice steal leading to a layup.
These three helped Boise State chip away at the lead and Bayes scored seven straight points. Two free throws by Thompson brought the Broncos within two points at 40-38, followed by a reverse layup to tie the score at 40, part of an 11-3 run.
Wyoming added a last basket and went into the locker room with a 42-40 halftime lead.
Bayes scored 13 in the first half while Thompson added 10. The Broncos committed only four turnovers in the first half.
Second half: Boise State finds the way
Offense continued to shine for both teams in the first five minutes of the third quarter. Each squad worked the playbook, using extensive backdoor cuts to find easy baskets.
In those opening minutes, there were eight lead changes and one tie. The Cowgirls began the quarter by hitting seven of eight from the field. Tess Barnes found the range from deep twice and Wyoming put together a 10-0 run to go up 59-50.
Barnes was on fire in the third quarter, scoring 11 points.
Thompson and Bayes kept the Broncos within striking distance but Boise State trailed 67-58 entering the final frame.
Each team struggled on defense in the fourth quarter, with Boise State taking nearly 2.5 minutes to score on a basket from Hutton. Lockdown defense, which included three forced shot clock violations, kept the Broncos climbing back towards the lead. They finally did so when Pasco scored to put the Broncos up 68-67 with 2:42 left.
Wyoming, for the first time in the fourth quarter, scored 14 seconds later, on two free throws but a three-pointer by Pasco with 1:31 left gave the Broncos the lead for good.
Boise State attempted only eight three-pointers but connected on four of them. The Broncos dished out 14 assists, led by six by Mary Kay Naro.
Malene Pedersen finished with 16 points for the Cowgirls, while Barnes scored 14 before fouling out.
Wyoming currently sits in third place with four games remaining on their schedule. Boise State, meanwhile, faces an uphill climb to earning a first-round bye in the Mountain West tournament. The Broncos are in eighth place and will need to win out (and likely get some help) to achieve such a feat. The important thing is that they found the win column again, hopefully starting a good run to close out the season.
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