Boise State senior with WNBA potential ready for one last tournament run with Broncos
With the NCAA granting athletes an extra year of eligibility because of the coronavirus pandemic, Boise State women’s basketball coach Gordy Presnell might want to reconsider his 2021 recruiting class.
Locking in 6-foot-5 center Mallory McGwire for a sixth season would be unparalleled.
“Six years? Oh wow, that’d be a lot,” said McGwire, who sat out the 2018-19 season after transferring from Oregon.
While McGwire doesn’t plan to stun the Mountain West by returning for an extra year, she is leaving a lasting impression her final season as a Bronco.
In her final game inside ExtraMile Arena, McGwire and the Broncos hammered San Diego State 85-44 on Sunday afternoon. The 41-point win is Boise State’s largest margin of victory ever in Mountain West play and the most since a 42-point win over Utah State in 2007 while part of the Western Athletic Conference.
McGwire had 18 points on 8-for-10 shooting, including 2 of 3 from 3-point range, to go with seven rebounds, three blocked shots, two steals and an assist.
Between her time at Oregon and Boise State, McGwire has recorded 1,073 points, 718 rebounds and 144 blocked shots. Her 266 rebounds in 2019-20 were the second-most in a single season in program history and her 50 blocks last season rank fifth. McGwire is averaging 8.3 rebounds per game in two seasons as a Bronco, which would put her No. 4 on the career list if the season ended Sunday.
McGwire’s name has appeared in mock drafts for the upcoming WNBA draft in April, but she says she’s ready to retire from hoops after the season is over.
“She’s put her life into this and is ready to move on with other things,” Boise State coach Gordy Presnell said. “She’s a tremendous player. She has unbelievable hands. I really thought the year she had to sit out here — we were 28-5 — she really helped us because we were going against her every day in practice and she’d just been at the (Elite Eight with Oregon) that spring before she got here. She really helped develop those guys. ...
“She’s always in a good mood. I’ve never seen her in a bad mood. She’s just fun to be around, and she’ll be one of my all-time favorites.”
McGwire has already earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology and got her real estate license last summer. Once the season is over, she plans to find a brokerage to work for.
“I love basketball and I’m really blessed that it’s gotten me this far and I’ve gotten to play these past five years,” McGwire said. “But I don’t think I’m going to play in the WNBA. I’m going to be done after this year. But, it’s really humbling to see that my name is in mock drafts and things like that, to know that I could do that.”
Boise State (13-8, 10-8 MW) is already assured a first-round bye in the Mountain West Tournament. The Broncos will either be the No. 5 or No. 6 seed and begin play March 8 at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. Boise State is the four-time defending tournament champion.
“I do have a lot of faith in us,” McGwire said. “If everything clicks and we just have the momentum going in, I think we have a good shot at this.”
GYMNASTICS: BRONCOS UPEND THUNDERBIRDS
For the fifth time this season, 20th-ranked Boise State knocked off a top-25 opponent, this time upsetting No. 16 Southern Utah 196.775 to 195.825 on Saturday night at ExtraMile Arena.
Sophomore Adriana Popp captured beam and floor titles, and senior Gabriela Cavinta picked up a victory on bars as the Broncos (6-2, 4-2 MRGC) led wire-to-wire after starting the night with a season-high 49.275 on vault. Boise State also scored a season-best 49.400 on floor.
Popp earned a career-high 9.925 on floor for her second career victory in the event. Her win on beam with a career-high-tying 9.900 was the first of her career.
Cavinta tied her career high with a 9.900 on bars, securing her second career win in the event. Junior Samantha Smith and freshman Courtney Blackson led the Broncos on vault with 9.875s.
Karley McClain of Southern Utah (4-6, 3-5) won the all-around title with a cumulative score of 39.150.
Boise State added a tri-meet to its 2021 schedule and will travel to Seattle next week to compete against Washington and Stanford beginning at 3 p.m. MT on March 7.
BOISE ST. 85, SAN DIEGO ST. 44
SAN DIEGO ST. (7-16, 5-12 MW)
Sophia Ramos 8-10 4-6 23; Tea Adams 3-8 3-5 9; Mallory Adams 2-8 0-0 5; Flo Vinerte 1-4 2-2 4; Mercedes Staples 1-7 0-0 2; Kiara Edwards 0-4 1-2 1; Kim Villalobos 0-8 0-0 0; Ivvana Murillo 0-1 0-0 0; Alex Crain 0-4 0-0 0; Kamaria Gipson 0-0 0-2 0; Isabela Hernandez 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 15-57 10-17 44.
BOISE ST. (13-8, 10-8 MW)
Jade Loville 8-13 5-6 21; Mallory McGwire 8-10 0-0 18; Alexis Mark 5-9 4-4 14; Kimora Sykes 4-6 0-0 11; Abby Muse 2-8 3-4 7; Elodie Lalotte 3-7 0-0 6; Anna Ostlie 1-5 1-2 3; Cristina Gil 1-1 0-0 3; Martina Machalova 1-2 0-0 2; Mary Kay Naro 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 33-65 13-16 85.
San Diego St.................. 6 15 19 4 — 44
Boise St...................... 16 20 26 23 — 85
3-point goals — San Diego St. 4-17 (Ramos 3-3; M. Adams 1-5; Staples 0-2; Murillo 0-1; Crain 0-2; Hernandez 0-3; T. Adams 0-1), Boise St. 6-17 (Sykes 3-5; McGwire 2-3; Gil 1-1; Ostlie 0-4; Machalova 0-1; Naro 0-3). Fouled out — None. Rebounds — San Diego St. 34 (Hernandez 5; T. Adams 5), Boise St. 42 (Muse 12). Assists — San Diego St. 4 (Villalobos 1; Edwards 1; T Adams 1; Vinerte 1), Boise St. 18 (Naro 6). Total fouls — San Diego St. 15, Boise St. 15. Technical fouls — None. A — 558.
