MWC Women's Basketball Tournament

MWC Women’s Basketball Tournament – First Round Recap/Quarterfinals Preview

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The 2020 Air Force Reserve Mountain West Basketball Championship opened with a remarkable 74-64 win for Nevada over New Mexico.

 

While Nevada raced toward victory, the New Mexico Lobos’ fans were out of their seats filling the Thomas & Mack with cheers of encouragement to potentially reassure the Lobos ladies. The Wolf Pack ladies managed to overlook the crowd that was mostly painted in red and white Lobo attire and were triggered to keep their eyes on the prize. Nevada will now advance to the quarterfinals for the third year in a row.

Nevada had a few key players that stood out in this game. Imani Lacy, a sophomore Forward, was highlighted as the player of the game with a stunning 20 point achievement and a career-high of 17 rebounds. Lacy is officially tied for the fifth-most rebounds in Mountain West Women’s Basketball Championship history.

 

Air Force defeats Colorado St. 60-48

 

The Falcons snatch an electrifying win over the Rams, their in-state rival. Air Force and Colorado St. enter the Mountain West Championship with clean slates after competing against each other in their last game of regular season play. The Falcons pulled together as a team and hustled up and down the court to claim their victory. Air Force closed the game with four players in double figures, two of those being sophomore Guard Briana Autrey–Thompson and Forward Riley Snyder, who both added some toughness and excitement to the game. This is the 6th time this season that Air Force has had various players score in double figures and the third time in their last five games.

 

Utah State closes the First Round of the Mountain West Championship with an 81-79  win over San Diego Satet. 

 

This game will be written down in history; the Aggies become the first No.11 seed to win a game in the Mountain West Championship history. Fans were jumping out of their seats in anticipation as the Aggies and Aztecs raced down the courts to beat the shot clock, landing themselves in overtime. The Aggies are the lowest-seeded team to accomplish a win since the 2013 tournament. This game was breathtaking, with an impressive performance from Forward Hailey Bassett. Bassett scored a career-high 29 points, in addition to the game-winning shot with only two seconds left on the shot clock.

 

Diving into Quarterfinals, Fresno State will face off against Nevada at 12:00 p.m PT. Fresno State enters the Mountain West Championship with a 23-6 overall record and a 16-2 conference record.

 

While the Bulldogs prepare for their matchup against No. 8 seed Nevada, they are amid another excellent season. Their coach Jaime White was awarded Mountain West Coach of the Year. White has lead Fresno State in 6 successful winning seasons and lead the Bulldogs to their first conference championship. The Bulldogs hold the 25th-best win percentage nationally and enters the tournament as the top seed for the first time in conference history. 

 

In Quarterfinal #2, UNLV 13-16 overall and 9-9 in regular-season play faces San Jose State, 18-11 overall, and 12-6 in regular conference play at 2:30 p.m PT. 

 

UNLV at the No.5 seed recently came off a 76-63 defeat against San Jose St., the No.4 seed, in the last game of their regular season play. Star player Rodjanae Wade completed her regular season, averaging a double-double with 15.1 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. Wade currently leads the nation with 5.5 offensive rebounds per game.

With the help of Wade and teammates, the Runnin’ Rebels should be prepared for their rematch against the Spartans. San Jose travels down to Las Vegas as the No.4 seed, duplicating the program’s highest seed in the MW tournament since 2016. Key player, Forward Tyra Whitehead serves as one of the conference’s premier defenders, ranking No.10 in the NCAA and second in the MW with 297 rebounds. 

 

In Quarterfinal #3, Boise State 21-9 overall and 13-5 in conference play, face off against Air Force, the No.7 seed with tip-off at 6:00 p.m PT.

The No.2 seed Broncos have won the last three Mountain West Championships. Boise State holds a 19-1 record in total post games against Air Force. The Broncos have also beat the Falcons 14 times in a row. The Broncos wish to remain undefeated with a 9-0 record at the MW tournament over the last three seasons and will be looking to win another MW Championship.

 

Lastly, in Quarterfinal #4,Wyoming 16-11 overall and 12-6 in conference play, tip-off against Utah State at 8:00 p.m PT. 

Cowgirls have clinched the No.3 seed in the Mountain West Championship. They ended their regular season play with five victories in a row. Wyoming closed their season with a 64-55 win over No.1 seed Fresno State. The Cowgirls have played against Utah State in the past, defeating them last year in the quarterfinals as the No.3 seed. Wyoming’s record is 2-0 against Utah State. 

 

 The Mountain West has announced the 2019-2020 Women’s Basketball All-Conference team and individual honors as voted on by all 11 league coaches.

 

  • Fresno State’s Maddi Utti was selected MW Player of the Year

  • UNLV’s  Bailey Thomas was selected for Defensive Player of the Year.

  • San Jose State’s Ayzhiana Basallo earned MW Newcomer of the Year.

  • Fresno State’s Haley Cavinder was selected for MW Freshman of the Year

  • Utah State’s Marlene Aniambossou was named MW Sixth Player of the Year. 

 

All games except the Championship will be broadcasted on the Mountain West Network. The Championship will take place Wednesday night on CBS Sports Network.

 

 

-Nyshon Zaragoza – Franchise Sports Media

 

MWC Women’s Basketball Tournament   MWC Women’s Basketball Tournament     MWC Women’s Basketball Tournament

MWC Women’s Basketball Tournament   MWC Women’s Basketball Tournament 

Las Vegas! If you want another great place to watch the game, head to Al’s Garage in Summerlin. There are multiple televisions to watch all the games. Al’s has “Happy Hour” starting at 9 AM and ending at 9 PM. Al’s Garage is located at 11760 W. Charleston Boulevard, Las Vegas, Nevada 89135. Tell them, “The Franchise sent you!!”

 

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