She set a Boise State single-season record. And she’s fighting for the national lead.
At the start of the 2019-20 women’s college basketball season, Boise State point guard Jayde Christopher had a specific individual goal in mind.
She reached it with four regular-season games to spare.
With 12 assists in the Broncos’ 74-69 victory at Air Force on Wednesday, Christopher broke the program’s single-season assist record. The 5-foot-8 redshirt senior from Federal Way, Washington, currently sits at an even 200 assists, surpassing the previous record of 192 set by Yaiza Rodriguez during the 2016-17 season.
“It’s a very big accomplishment,” Christopher said in audio provided to the Idaho Statesman. “I want to thank my coaches and my teammates for getting me to this point. There’s a lot more left in the season, and I hope to share the ball more.”
Christopher is the only player in Boise State history — male or female — to pass out 200 assists in a single season. The men’s single-season record is 165 (La’Shard Anderson, 2010-11).
But Christopher isn’t just setting new standards at Boise State. Going into Wednesday’s games, the only player in the nation with more helpers this season is Oregon senior Sabrina Ionescu (205). Christopher’s 7.5 assists per game also ranks No. 2 in the country.
The Mountain West’s overall single-season record is 243 (New Mexico’s Cherise Beynon, 2017-18), while the record for league play is 127, also set by Beynon. Christopher is on pace to break the record for assists in league games — she has 108 — and could establish a new overall record if Boise State makes another strong postseason run.
“She’s an amazing kid and a joy to coach,” Boise State coach Gordy Presnell said. “I couldn’t be happier for her.”
Christopher’s record-breaking assist came with 8 minutes, 39 seconds left in the second quarter against Air Force on a pass inside to center Mallory McGwire.
While Christopher reached double-digit assists against the Falcons, four other Broncos scored in double figures. Senior guard Riley Lupfer made six 3-pointers and totaled 23 points, and McGwire collected her eighth double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Fellow seniors Braydey Hodgins (12 points) and A’Shanti Coleman (11 points) helped round out the scoring for the Broncos (17-9, 9-5 MW), who have now won 14 in a row against Air Force (5-19, 3-10).
The Broncos continue conference play against San Diego State (12-14, 7-7) on Saturday. Tipoff is 2 p.m. MT at Viejas Arena in San Diego. They have two home games remaining against San Jose State (7 p.m. Feb. 19) and UNLV (7 p.m. Feb. 24).
.JPG "Fresno St Boise St Basketball(6).JPG")
Men’s basketball: Former Bronco to represent U.S.
James Webb III was one of 12 players chosen to play on Team USA’s February 2020 FIBA AmeriCup Qualifying Team.
The former Boise State standout is currently a member of the Iowa Wolves in the NBA G-League, and this will be his first appearance on a Team USA roster. Team USA will play two games against Puerto Rico on Feb. 20 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and then Feb. 23 in Washington, D.C.
The February contests are the first of six qualifying games to be played during three windows, with future games taking place in November 2020 and February 2021. The rosters for each window can be altered and will be announced at dates. The FIBA AmeriCup 2021, considered the FIBA Americas zone championship, will feature 12 nations from North America, Central America, the Caribbean and South America.
Webb averaged 13.5 points and 8.6 rebounds in two seasons at Boise State. He helped the Broncos claim the 2015 Mountain West regular-season championship and qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Webb also is the program’s first early entrant in the NBA Draft.
This story was originally published February 12, 2020 at 10:16 PM.
