Christopher ties program record as Boise State comes up short at No. 8 Louisville
A better start might have made for a different game for the Boise State women’s basketball team.
The Broncos fell in a 17-point hole in the first quarter and chased No. 8 Louisville the rest of the way in a 98-82 loss Sunday in front of 8,331 fans at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky.
Boise State outscored Louisville 48-40 in the second half and shot 61.4 percent from the field — the fifth-highest figure in program history — as senior point guard Jayde Christopher matched a single-game program record with 14 assists.
Christopher ties Marta Hermida, who had 14 assists against San Jose State in 2018, for the top spot in the record book. The transfer from Kansas entered Sunday’s game tied for 11th in the nation with 30 assists this season.
“Jayde Christopher was just phenomenal,” Boise State coach Gordy Presnell told Chris Lewis in a postgame radio interview on KTIK 1350 AM. “We asked her to step up and speed the game up and told her she had the keys to the car and control the pace. I was just incredibly, incredibly impressed with her.”
The final 16-point margin is the closest the Broncos (3-3) have come in three meetings with the Cardinals (5-0). Louisville beat Boise State 74-42 in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament and won 74-55 in Boise on Nov. 19, 2018.
Louisville dominated Boise State in the paint early, with 6-foot-4 senior Kylee Shook and 6-5 sophomore Elizabeth Dixon each scoring 15 points and combining for a 13-for-17 performance from the field. The Cardinals scored 52 points in the paint, 36 of which came in the first half. The Broncos also committed a season-high 20 turnovers — 12 in the first half — that led to 25 Louisville points.
Despite the difficult start, the Broncos’ 82 points is the most the Cardinals have given up since they lost to then-No. 1 Notre Dame 99-79 last season.
“We don’t want to lose and there’s no moral victory,” Presnell said. “But we ran up 80-some points against the number eight team in the country. I think there’s something that can be taken from that.”
Senior guard Braydey Hodgins and sophomore post Rachel Bowers scored 16 points apiece to lead the Broncos, and senior forward A’Shanti Coleman contributed 15 points on 7-for-9 shooting. Christopher notched a double-double with 10 points in addition to her record 14 assists.
Sophomore Jade Loville and redshirt freshman Maggie Freeman logged key minutes off the bench and each total seven points.
“I think it helps us get to the level that we want to compete at, and then can we execute at that level?” Presnell said. “Then can we have sustained effort at that level? And for the most part, I thought our kids did that.”
Senior guard Jazmine Jones paced Louisville with 22 points on 8-for-12 shooting, and junior guard Dana Evans totaled 20 points, highlighted by a 4-for-5 showing from 3-point range.
Boise State has a quick turnaround, hosting Utah Valley (0-4) at 7 p.m. Tuesday at ExtraMile Arena.
LOUISVILLE 98, BOISE ST. 82
BOISE ST. (3-3)
Braydey Hodgins 7-10 1-1 16; Rachel Bowers 8-11 0-0 16; A’Shanti Coleman 7-9 1-1 15; Jayde Christopher 4-6 0-0 10; Riley Lupfer 2-6 1-2 7; Maggie Freeman 3-3 0-1 7; Jade Loville 2-5 3-3 7; Laia Soler 1-1 0-0 2; Mallory McGwire 1-6 0-0 2. Totals 35-57 6-8 82.
LOUISVILLE (5-0)
Jazmine Jones 8-12 6-8 22; Dana Evans 7-14 2-2 20; Elizabeth Dixon 6-7 3-4 15; Kylee Shook 7-10 1-3 15; Elizabeth Balogun 4-6 0-0 9; Norika Konno 2-8 3-4 7; Lindsey Duvall 2-2 0-0 5; Bionca Dunham 2-4 1-2 5; Jessica Laemmle 0-0 0-0 0; Mykasa Robinson 0-1 0-0 0; Yacine Diop 0-6 0-0 0. Totals 38-70 16-23 98.
Boise St...................... 14 20 24 24 — 82
Louisville.................... 31 27 23 17 — 98
3-point goals — Boise St. 6-16 (Christopher 2-2; Lupfer 2-6; Freeman 1-1; Hodgins 1-1; McGwire 0-2; Loville 0-1; Coleman 0-1; Bowers 0-2), Louisville 6-14 (Evans 4-5; Balogun 1-3; Duvall 1-1; Konno 0-2; Diop 0-2; Shook 0-1). Fouled out — None. Rebounds — Boise St. 25 (Lupfer 4), Louisville 34 (Jones 6). Assists — Boise St. 22 (Christopher 14), Louisville 21 (Evans 8). Total fouls — Boise St. 20, Louisville 10. Technical fouls — None. A — 8,331.
