She’s among the nation’s best at blocking shots. And this forward calls Boise State home
By any statistical measure, Abby Muse is a block machine.
The Boise State junior forward blocked three shots in a 60-53 victory over Fresno State in a Mountain West women’s basketball game Thursday at ExtraMile Arena.
Muse entered the game tied for ninth nationally in total blocks (43) and 11th in blocks per game (2.39). The junior from Brentwood, California, has recorded two or more blocks in eight straight games. She already ranks second in program history with 124 career blocks.
The aptly-named Stephanie Block owns the program record with 142 blocks from 1996 to 2000. Muse is on pace to break that record this season.
“It’s just playing defense for me. It’s something I’ve always been able to do,” the 6-foot-3 Muse said. “It’s one of my assets, one of my strengths, so if one of my teammates needs help if they get beat, I’m gonna fly in there and try to help them.”
Muse also moved into sixth place on the program’s single-season block list. The junior, who has blocked 46 shots this season, passed Nancy Phillips, who recorded 44 blocks in the 1978-79 season. Camille Redmon owns the Boise State record with 77 blocks during the 2014-15 season.
“She has great timing, and she’s obviously long and athletic,” Boise State coach Gordy Presnell said of Muse. “... It gives you a psychological advantage as a rim protector.”
Although she’s one of the best at blocking shots, Muse received a bit of a chastising at halftime from Presnell for having two early fouls. She finished with seven points, four rebounds, three blocked shots, one assist and one steal before fouling out with 1:41 remaining in the game.
Luckily for Muse, who is the the Broncos’ second-leading scorer (9.6 ppg) and top rebounder (8.2 rpg), Boise State (8-11, 3-3 MW) had a balanced effort against the Bulldogs (8-13, 1-7).
Ten Broncos got in the game and all 10 scored. Freshman guard Dani Bayes, an Australia native, led the way with 10 points. And Bayes connected on a jumper with 58 seconds left to turn a two-possession game into a 58-52 advantage.
But the Broncos didn’t take it easy on the 735 loyal fans in attendance, as Boise State junior forward Elodie Lalotte was issued a technical foul with 40.3 seconds left that gave Fresno State two free throws and the ball.
Fresno State’s Amaya West made 1-of-2 free-throw attempts and then missed a 3-pointer that would have made it two-point game.
“I was pleased with the resiliency at the end,” Presnell said. “Last year we would probably lose that game.”
Thursday’s win ends Fresno State’s run of three straight victories — including two in Boise — over the Broncos in the series. It also puts a halt to Boise State’s three-game conference skid.
Both teams struggled to take care of the ball in the first half, with Boise State committing nine turnovers to Fresno State’s 12. The Broncos went ahead 10-9 after the first quarter thanks to a layup from Muse with 45 seconds left. The teams then traded buckets for much of the second quarter, but Boise State held the Bulldogs without a field goal for the final 4:47 to take a 24-21 lead into the break.
Fresno State shot just 27.3% from the floor in the first half, including a 1-for-5 (20%) performance from 3-point range.
“I think it was definitely a team win,” Muse said. “We worked really hard to score, because we struggled with that in the first half, so I think it was just on everyone’s minds to get the ball in the hoop and to do it as a team, as a cohesive unit.”
The Broncos resume Mountain West play Saturday at New Mexico. Tipoff is 1 p.m. Mountain time at The Pit in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The game will be streamed live on the Mountain West Network, or listen on the radio on KBOI 670 AM.
This story was originally published January 19, 2023 at 10:08 PM.
