Boise State women’s basketball ended their season in heartbreaking fashion on Monday, March 9, after falling to Air Force 68-66 in the 2026 Mountain West Championship semifinals.
The loss marked the conclusion of the Broncos’ 2025-26 campaign and sent the underdog team, Air Force, to the conference title game, where they lost to Colorado State.
Facing a strong showing from Air Force that seemed to overwhelm the team at times, Boise State fought to the final buzzer, displaying the same resiliency and growth throughout the game that defined their season.
But despite the Broncos’ efforts, the tears on senior Dani Bayes’ face during the postgame press conference were a stark reminder of reality.
“Of course, not the ending we wanted, but this place is really special to me,” Bayes said when asked what this season and her Boise State career mean to her. “Although this feeling sucks, there isn’t another team I would want to be a part of.”
In a tightly-contested back-and-forth battle, the Broncos left everything on the floor and demonstrated tenacity through all four quarters.
Air Force built momentum early, opening the game with a driving layup from Emily Adams and going on an 8-0 run shortly after, sparked by 3-pointers from Alexis Cortez and Milhanie Perry.
Boise State stayed within striking distance behind Libby Hutton, who scored seven points in the first quarter, and trailed 18-11 going into the second.
Hutton continued to steady the game for the Broncos, opening the quarter with an and-one layup and a jumper and finishing the frame with another seven points.
Boise State took its first lead of the game at the 4:39 mark when Dani Bayes drilled a 3, while field goals from Tatum Thompson and freshman Morgan Maldonado kept the offense rolling. Perry answered with another triple for Air Force before Hutton converted two free throws to put the Broncos up 30-27. A late layup from Perry and a Natalie Pasco free throw locked the score at 31-29 going into halftime.
The third quarter saw several lead changes and ended with Boise State carrying a 50-47 advantage entering the fourth. Back-to-back baskets from Thompson and Hutton, along with consecutive layups from Mason Borcherding, fueled the Broncos’ offense in the third quarter.
Air Force’s Keelie O’Hollaren opened the final period by knocking down a triple to tie the game, and after several back-and-forth possessions, the Falcons began to pull away with a 9-0 run supported by Cortez and Adams.
After a layup from Hutton and free throws from Bayes brought the Broncos within one in the final seconds, Perry converted at the line and sealed Air Force’s 68-66 victory and trip to the Mountain West Championship game.
Just a day after beating New Mexico in the quarterfinals to secure his Mountain West-record 23rd conference tournament victory, head coach Gordy Presnell had no choice but to give Air Force credit where it was due.
“[Air Force] played very, very well and took us out of our game with their defense,” Presnell said. “They made all the plays down the stretch and we did not… We have no one to blame but ourselves, but a lot of that is because of Air Force, their physicality, their pressure. They took it out of us early.”
Despite falling short of a conference title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament, Boise State women’s basketball’s 2025-26 campaign was one of the program’s strongest seasons in recent years.
Under the guidance of Presnell, who has served as head coach since 2005, the team finished 25-9 overall and 14-6 in conference play.
The Broncos consistently competed at a high level against both conference and non-conference opponents. They put together numerous memorable performances, including multiple back-to-back 80+ point games early in the season, and secured blowout victories over Mountain West opponents San Jose State, Wyoming and Nevada.
Throughout the year, the team showcased depth and veteran leadership led by their senior core.
Tatum Thompson, Natalie Pasco and Dani Bayes each topped 400 points on the season. Boise State is the only Mountain West team with three 400-point scorers, and one of only three Division I programs to accomplish the feat this season, joining South Carolina and UCLA. The Broncos’ depth was evident when they scored a season-high 46 bench points in the semifinal loss.
Boise State’s impressive season was capped by a deep run in the Mountain West Tournament that included Presnell’s 23rd conference tournament victory, the most in conference history.
That feat propelled the Broncos to the semifinals, where they ultimately lost to Air Force.
Although the season didn’t end as they hoped, the Broncos displayed growth and resilience throughout the year, rebounding from early conference play miscues to win 11 of their final 14 regular-season games and secure the No. 5 seed in the conference tournament.
Despite not winning a title and losing multiple standout seniors, the season marks a significant step in the right direction for the program and sets a strong foundation for next season’s team and the Bronco squads to come.
“They’ve done nothing but make us proud,” Presnell said of his players when asked how the program has improved in the last four years. “These are the kinds of kids that I want to coach, the kinds of kids I want to represent Boise State. They’ve got hearts of gold and they’re good people.”
