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Bronco women back on track
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After losing four straight games, the Boise State University women’s basketball team finally got things going against Southern Utah in a great team performance, winning 74-60 Monday night.
The Broncos (3-4) have been decimated by injuries this year, but have progressively improved every game behind their two freshmen point guards Heather Pilcher and Courtney VanBrocklin.
Pilcher led all scorers with 19 points. 5-of-9 were field goals and 4-of-6 were from 3-point land. VanBrocklin added seven points after coming off her best game last week against Utah Valley State where she scored a career-high 19 points.
“What’s fun for them is that they like playing together,” Boise State head coach Gordy Presnell said after the win. “They really feed off each other. We have never had that kind of athleticism here, they take us to a new level of energy and enthusiasm.”
The Broncos were never threatened in the game, jumping out to a 26-10 halfway through the first half. And they never looked back.
Taking a 33-22 lead into halftime, it was crucial for the Broncos’ recently inconsistent shooting to continue making strides as they came onto the court for the second half.
They did just that, finally finding their stroke from the 3-point range, shooting 10-of-26 from beyond the arc for 38.5 percent – a huge improvement from the 21 percent they had been shooting from the 3-point arc before the game.
Presnell was impressed with the way the Broncos’ defense settled in during the first half, holding SUU (1-5) to only 22 points in the first half.
The Broncos have been struggling defensively as of late, but might have finally turned the corner against an SUU team that lost two close games earlier this year against Nebraska and
Brigham Young.
While the loss of pre-season Western Athletic Conference first teamer Tasha Harris is devastating to the Broncos, the loss of starting center Ja’Lara Walker is equally painful. Walker’s status is currently day-to-day.
The inside presence the Broncos have been lacking might have been answered against SUU. Sophomore Marisa Stotler was called on to carry the load inside for the rest of the season for the Broncos. Stotler impressed against SUU by scoring 10 points in 24 minutes of action.
“We have really been working on our inside out post guard game,” senior guard Jamia Malone said. “We haven’t gotten it done in the past, but now we’re really starting to get it going.”
Malone didn’t do too bad either, scoring 14 points in 30 minutes of action, and leading the team with four assists. Malone started the game off by hitting her first three shots from a 3-point land.
“I feel like I had to step up with the rest of the seniors, luckily we have the freshmen to help us out as well,” Malone said while hugging Pilcher after the game.
The next test for the Broncos’ up and coming players will be a road trip to Montana this weekend to take on the Montana Grizzlies and the Montana State Bobcats, which will be important for the Broncos to keep their season going in the right direction.
TRENT LOOTENS
Arbiter Journalist
