- Morning Bronco
- Posts
- Good Morning, Boise State 3/5: Fat Tuesday, Fat Hoops Wins
Good Morning, Boise State 3/5: Fat Tuesday, Fat Hoops Wins
Boise State MBB handily defeated Air Force, while Natalie Pasco and Tatum Thompson combined for 34 points in the second half to lead WBB past Utah State.
Good Morning, Bronco Nation! Welp, it’s Mardi Gras, and as the Cajun French might say, “Laissez les bons temps rouler,” or, “Let the good times roll.” Boise State hoops sure did that last night, as both WBB and MBB brought home the dubs.
More below! 👇🏼
What else is mixed into today’s Brew? Scroll down below to find out!
⛹🏽♀️ WBB and MBB recaps
🤸🏽♀️ Three gymnastics squad members earned MW weekly honors
🏐 Allyson Alden + Sharli O'Neil named Southland Conference Pair of the Week
🔷 And much, much more!
📈 STOCK UP

🔼 Team Effort. Led by five players who scored in double figures, Boise State MBB defeated Air Force, 80-57, on Tuesday night at Clune Arena.
The Broncos (22-8, 14-5 Mountain West) have won nine of their previous 10 games and are on a five-game winning streak. Boise State has won each of the last 10 meetings against Air Force (4-26, 1-18 MW) dating back to Feb. 11, 2020.
Pearson Carmichael and Andrew Meadow paced all Broncos and scored 14 points apiece. Alvaro Cardenas surpassed 200 assists this season and totaled 13 points, five rebounds and six dimes in the game.

🔼 Gruesome Twosome 💪🏼. Natalie Pasco and Tatum Thompson combined for 34 points in the second half to lead Boise State women's basketball past Utah State, 72-59, in the regular season finale on Tuesday.
The duo combined to score 46 points in total. Pasco totaled 25 points, draining four 3-pointers and shooting 9-of-18 from the floor, while Thompson added 21 points, eight rebounds and four assists. The game marked the fifth time a Bronco duo has each scored 20+ points on the season, the most in program history.

🔼 In Sync. Boise State beach volleyball duo Allyson Alden and Sharli O'Neil were named the Southland Conference Pair of the Week. The honor marks the first time that either has taken home the weekly conference honor in their career. O'Neil also reached an impressive milestone during the weekend, surpassing 50 career wins.
The duo captures the award following a 4-1 performance from the No. 2 court during the Broncos' season-opening weekend. The pair won two matches over ranked opponents, defeating No. 11 Arizona State on Friday before taking down No. 18 Grand Canyon on Saturday.
![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
🔼 The Trifecta. Emily Lopez, Emma Loyim and Kristina Shchennikova each garnered MW weekly honors following the meet against Air Force on Feb. 28. Lopez earned Vault and Bars Specialist of the Week, Loyim received Beam Specialist of the Week and Shchennikova picked up Freshman of the Week.
Lopez scored a season-high 9.900 on vault to earn her 11th title on the event of her career. Loyim earned her second beam title of the season, sixth of her career, along with her seventh MW weekly accolade and second on beam. Shchennikova secured her fourth freshman of the week honor, bringing her MW weekly award count to six, after recording the second-highest score on bars for the Broncos, 9.875.

🔼 Persistence Pays Off. Emily Lopez has been nominated for the American Athletic, Inc. (AAI) Award. One of the most prestigious awards in women's gymnastics, it recognizes the top senior female gymnasts in the nation for their dedication, leadership and excellence in the sport.
Lopez is one among 59 nominees for the award and stands along Brianna Brooks of Utah State as the only two from the Mountain West to make the list.
"Emily Lopez has been a cornerstone of Boise State gymnastics, exemplifying invaluable leadership and unwavering dedication.” - Tina Bird, head coach
She did it 𝗔𝗚𝗔𝗜𝗡!
#BleedBlue | #WhatsNext
— Boise State Softball (@BroncoSportsSB)
12:21 AM • Mar 4, 2025
🔼 More Makenzie Mania. Boise State freshman Makenzie Butt has been recognized by Softball America, coming in at eighth nationally among first basemen in position power rankings.
Butt has garnered the last-two MW Freshman of the Week awards. She is batting .397 and leads Boise State with nine home runs and 33 RBI. She is tied for second nationally with 1.74 RBI per game and her RBI total is tied for fifth, also leading the Mountain West with a .948 slugging percentage.
New Week ➡️ New Rankings
#35 team ranking
Baker/Middleton #69 as a doubles pair
Middleton #108 in singles#BleedBlue | #WhatsNext
— Boise State Men's Tennis (@BroncoSportsMTN)
8:23 PM • Mar 4, 2025
🔼 Advantage Boise State. With a new week comes new men’s tennis rankings!
✅ #35 team ranking
✅ Baker/Middleton #69 as a doubles pair
✅ Middleton #108 in singles

🔼 Birdies’ Eye View. Hannah Lim tied for third to lead the Broncos—who recorded 157 birdies, tied for third in the field—to a sixth-place finish at the Momentum Transportation UNF Collegiate. Lim concluded the two-day tournament with a 219 (+3), earning the highest finish of her career. Backing her was Teal Matsueda, who tied for 20th at 228 (+12).
Lim has three top-10 finishes this season and four in her career. She has nine-career top-25 finishes. Matsueda has eight-career top-25 finishes, including four this season.

🔼 Treasure Valley Time. The Broncos softball team opens its home slate with the Blue Collar Classic, Thursday through Saturday (March 6-8) before traveling to Pocatello, Idaho, for a pair of games at the Black and Orange Classic, March 9-10. Boise State is off to a 15-5 start.
The Broncos, who are receiving votes in NFCA/GoRout Top 25, are 13-5 at home, including seven-straight wins.
🤔 BLUE TURF TRIVIA
So Little Time, So Many Awards. Today’s trivia question… How many times has Boise State beach volleyball secured the Southland Conference Pair of the Week award since joining the league in 2023?
📱 FROM THE AD’S DESK
.@CoachLeonRice with 12 out of 15 years with 20 WINS with one of those years being Covid 🤷♂️ 3 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances the last three years…What’s Next! Let’s go! #BleedBlue 🙏🏼😈
— Jeramiah Dickey (@JeramiahDickey)
10:45 PM • Feb 27, 2025
🗣️ SPREAD THE WORD
Do you know a friend or family member who is a member of Bronco Nation? Simply forward them this email and they can sign up to receive the newsletter by clicking the link below to subscribe. Good Morning, Bronco Nation is sent every weekday and is completely free!
🗓 LOOKING AHEAD
*All times in MT
Wednesday, March 5
(No Events Scheduled)
Friday, March 7
🏐 Women’s Beach Volleyball vs. #2 TCU in Ft. Worth, Texas @ 9 a.m. | Watch
🏐 Women’s Beach Volleyball vs. #16 Florida Atlantic in Ft. Worth, Texas @ 3 p.m. | Watch
🥎 Softball vs. Utah @ 3:30 p.m. | Watch | Tickets
🤸🏽♀️ Gymnastics @ Southern Utah in Cedar City, Utah @ 7 p.m. TV: OVERNGHT | Watch
🏀 Men’s Basketball vs. Colorado State @ 8 p.m. TV: FS1 Radio: KBOI 670 AM | Listen | Live Stats
Saturday, March 8
🏐 Women’s Beach Volleyball vs. #15 Texas in Ft. Worth, Texas @ 9 a.m. | Watch
🥎 Softball vs. Utah @ noon | Watch | Tickets
🏐 Women’s Beach Volleyball vs. #6 Florida State in Ft. Worth, Texas @ 1 p.m. | Watch
Sunday, March 9
⛳️ Men’s Golf @ Bandon Dunes Collegiate in Bandon, Oregon (Bandon Trails GC)
🏀 Mountain West Women’s Basketball Championship @ TBD
🎾 Women’s Tennis vs. Utah Tech @ 11 a.m.
🥎 Softball vs. Montana in Pocatello, Idaho @ 12:30 p.m. | Watch | Tickets
Monday, March 10
⛳️ Men’s Golf @ Bandon Dunes Collegiate in Bandon, Oregon (Bandon Trails GC)
🏀 Mountain West Women’s Basketball Championship @ TBD
🥎 Softball vs. Washington in Pocatello, Idaho @ 10 a.m.
Tuesday, March 11
⛳️ Men’s Golf @ Bandon Dunes Collegiate in Bandon, Oregon (Bandon Trails GC)
🏀 Mountain West Women’s Basketball Championship @ TBD
🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER
Answer: Eight!
With Boise State beach volleyball duo Allyson Alden and Sharli O'Neil having been named the Southland Conference Pair of the Week, it marks the eighth time the program has secured the award since joining the league in 2023.
🔷 Happy Wednesday, Bronco Nation!