The tough final slate of games did not fall in their favor, falling to champion San Diego State by two points at home and routed by UNLV by 29 on the road, sandwiched around a 16-point win on Senior Night over Utah State.
The two losses, coupled with hot streaks from the Colorado State Rams and New Mexico Lobos, dropped the Broncos from second place to fifth. Despite failing to secure the first round bye, there is a feeling Boise State can make a strong, deep run in the Mountain West tournament starting March 7 in Las Vegas.
Boise State enjoyed their best season since 2019-20. A group of seniors hungry to cement their legacy along with other title holders in the program's history are primed to go dancing. Add in a sensational sophomore and an ever-improving bench, the Broncos have a deep team hoping to cut down the nets in a matter of days.
Boise State Broncos: Season stats and leaders
Four senior starters. Four players who all currently sit with over 1,000 points scored in their careers. All-conference accolades, great individual performances. All that is missing is a conference title for Tatum Thompson, Dani Bayes, Natalie Pasco, and Mya Hansen.
These four players have been cornerstones of the Boise State program and started every game for the Broncos this season. Each brings tenacity, effort, and three-point shooting, not to mention the high-level of leadership they display on the court. It would only be a fitting end for this quartet to lock up a conference tourney title and head to the NCAA tournament.
Thompson lived up to her billing as a preseason MVP, leading the Broncos in scoring (14.4) and rebounding (7.1), collecting five double doubles on the season. Until scoring only one point against UNLV, Thompson had scored in double figures in six straight games. Thompson shot 47.3 % from the field and on defense, had 1.2 steals per game.
Tops as sharpshooters, Pasco (12.6) and Bayes (12.5) put up similar numbers in the scoring department. Pasco shot 44.1% from three-point range, with Bayes connecting at 40.4%. Bayes also contributed 4.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.6 steals per game.
Hansen was close behind in the three-point game at 38.8%. The senior point guard averaged 7.3 points and 4.4 assists per game.
Hutton steadily improved as the season wore on and will provide a solid returning anchor for next season. The sophomore shot 47.5% from the field and averaged 10.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.
Bench players, too, improved as the season went on, with mostly a group of true freshmen leading the way, with a couple of upperclassmen mixed in. The bench will need to provide adequate minutes throughout the tournament if Boise State is to advance, especially with the daunting challenge of four games in four days needed if the Broncos get that far.
Boise State averages 70.1 points per game and holds opponents to 64.3. In all of Boise State's conference wins, opponents did not reach 70 points, while in their six losses, opponents all scored over 70.
Mountain West tourney preview
Boise State (23-8, 14-6) opens the tournament on Saturday (3/7, 3 p.m. M.T.), taking on the 12th-seed San Jose State Spartans (4-27, 2-18))
The Broncos own two wins over the Spartans this season, winning 96-62 at ExtraMile Arena and 71-48 in San Jose.
Thompson, locked in against the Spartans, had 53 points and 13 rebounds in the two games. Bayes was just as efficient, scoring 30 and collecting 17 boards. Hansen contributed with 13 assists.
The top four teams received byes in the opening round. The top-seed Aztecs (25-4, 19-1) won eight straight to close the regular season, with their only conference loss a 13-point defeat at Grand Canyon.
UNLV (20-10, 15-5) and Colorado State (24-7, 15-5) finished tied, with the Lady Rebels snagging the second seed. The Rams, winners of six straight, are third and New Mexico with a five-game winning streak (22-9, 14-6) rounds out the top four.
The Broncos went 2-4 against the top four teams this season, picking up wins over New Mexico and Colorado State.
Boise State, should they win on Saturday, will advance to face the Lobos on Sunday (3/8), with another 3 p.m. (MT) start time on the agenda.
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