Brown transfer — ‘a born leader’ — takes over for Boise State in rout of Utah State
Dominique Leonidas has emerged as the leader the Boise State women’s basketball team needed.
The fifth-year senior transfer from Brown registered her second straight 20-point game to guide the Broncos to a 71-47 rout of Utah State in Mountain West action Sunday afternoon at ExtraMile Arena. It is the first conference win of the season for the Broncos, who improved to 5-9 overall and 1-2 in the Mountain West.
“(Leonidas) is a born leader,” Boise State sophomore Abby Muse said. “Both within the team and on the court. I just love her. I am so sad she only has one year with us. I really am. But everyone really does look to her for that leadership role.”
Leonidas, who graduated from Brown with a degree in public health, dropped 20 points on the Aggies on 8-for-13 shooting (61.5%), including a 3-for-4 performance from 3-point range, to go with four assists, three steals and one block. It was Leonidas’ fourth consecutive game in double figures, and she ranks third in the Mountain West, averaging 20.3 points per game in league play.
“She has just been an amazing blessing to our team in every facet of life,” Boise State coach Gordy Presnell said. “She obviously has an Ivy League degree, so she’s a great mentor to them academically with the success that she’s had academically. But also her work ethic on the court, and then just her value system and personality. She’s just the greatest kid in the world, and we are fortunate to have her.”
Boise State was eager to get on the court Sunday after having back-to-back games postponed this week because of COVID-19 issues with the Broncos’ opponents. The Broncos were scheduled to play at Wyoming on Monday, and the team was already in Reno when their scheduled contest against Nevada had to be postponed.
“It’s all about just staying locked in,” Leonidas said. “I was just telling my team to stay locked in, and whenever we’re able to play, let’s go out there and be ready.”
Leonidas led by example, opening their game against Utah State with a 3-pointer on the Broncos’ first possession to help the Broncos lead for all but 45 seconds of Sunday’s game.
Boise State closed the first half on a 7-1 run for a 31-24 halftime lead. The Broncos then dominated the third quarter, using an 11-0 run to put the game out of reach.
Sophomore Elodie Lalotte scored six points during the run as the Broncos built a 46-29 lead with 5:26 remaining in the third quarter. Leonidas then took over the rest of the quarter, going coast to coast for a layup off a steal, nailing a turnaround jumper in the key and making a pair of free throws. She also assisted on a fastbreak layup by Anna Ostlie to put the Broncos up 54-36 going into the final quarter.
Muse, who went 10-for-12 at the free-throw line, earned her fifth double-double of the season with 14 points and a game-leading 12 rebounds. Lalotte also posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 boards as Boise State outrebounded Utah State 53-33, marking the fourth straight game in which the Broncos have outrebounded their opponent and third in that span by 20 or more.
“We’re trying to emphasize (rebounding) right now,” said Presnell, whose Broncos are scheduled to play five of their first seven Mountain West games on the road. “We want to travel well, and travel well means you rebound and play defense. If we miss it, we want to go get it. I thought we did a good job of rebounding the ball, and both Abby and Elodie really stepped up in the second half.”
Boise State continues Mountain West play Thursday at UNLV. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Mountain time in Cox Pavilion, and the game will be streamed live on the Mountain West Network — which is available online at broncosports.com/mwn — or listen on the radio on 670 AM.
“We’ve lost six games down the stretch,” Presnell said. “It was just good to feel that winning feeling.”
Notes: Boise State scored 44 points in the paint and 20 points off turnovers against Utah State. ... Mackenzie Naro, the younger sister of sophomore point guard Mary Kay Naro, made her Boise State debut with 2:42 remaining in the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Naro was promoted from team manger a few weeks ago.
BOISE ST. 71, UTAH ST. 47
UTAH ST. (5-9, 0-4 MW): Kaylin Randhawa 5-11 0-0 11; Adryana Quezada 4-6 2-5 10; Shyla Latone 4-13 0-0 9; Emmie Harris 2-3 3-4 8; Olivia Wikstrom 1-5 0-0 3; Laci Hawthorne 1-9 1-2 3; Manna Mensah 1-5 0-0 2; Taylor Franson 0-2 1-2 1; Kinley Falslev 0-2 0-0 0; E’Lease Stafford 0-5 0-0 0. Totals 18-61 7-13 47.
BOISE ST. (5-9, 1-2 MW): Dominique Leonidas 8-13 3-3 22; Abby Muse 2-10 10-12 14; Elodie Lalotte 7-12 0-0 14; Anna Ostlie 4-12 0-0 9; Sydney McQuietor 2-3 0-0 4; Jayda Clark 1-2 0-0 2; Rachel Bowers 1-1 0-0 2; Trista Hull 1-5 0-0 2; Mary Kay Naro 1-8 0-0 2; Linsey Lovrovich 0-0 0-0 0; Mackenzie Naro 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 27-68 13-15 71.
Utah St....................... 11 13 12 11 — 47
Boise St...................... 14 17 23 17 — 71
3-point goals — Utah St. 4-21 (Wikstrom 1-4; Harris 1-2; Randhawa 1-3; Latone 1-5; Falslev 0-2; Stafford 0-1; Mensah 0-2; Hawthorne 0-1; Quezada 0-1), Boise St. 4-17 (Leonidas 3-4; Ostlie 1-8; Hull 0-1; Mar. Naro 0-2; Mac. Naro 0-2). Fouled out — Utah St.-Taylor Franson, Boise St.-None. Rebounds — Utah St. 33 (Quezada 6), Boise St. 53 (Muse 12). Assists — Utah St. 8 (Randhawa 2), Boise St. 18 (Mar. Naro 6). Total fouls — Utah St. 15, Boise St. 12. Technical fouls — None. A — 872.
