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2017 Mountain West Championships Bracket
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The University of New Mexico women’s basketball team is set to tip off the 2017 Mountain West Championships on Tuesday, March 7 at 2:30 p.m PT/3:30 p.m. MT in Las Vegas, Nev. The Lobos enter the tournament as the No. 5 seed and will face the No. 4 Boise State Broncos in the Thomas & Mack Center.
2017 Mountain West Championships Central
Fans will be able to watch all of the Mountain West Championship action for the women’s tournament on the Mountain West Network as well as following live stats. In addition, Josh Suchon will continue to call the play-by-play action for the Lobos on 610 AM.
The Lobos (15-14 ,10-8 MW) are led by junior Cherise Beynon who averages 15.6 points per game on the season and 16.6 points per game in conference play. She also averages 7.4 rebounds per game while dishing 6.6 assists to lead the league in total assists (192) and assists per game. The junior also ranks fourth in the league in defensive rebounds with 6.4.
Also helping to lead the squad scoring in double digits is senior Richelle van der Keijl who averages 14.0 points and a team-high 9.7 rebounds per game. van der Keijl leads the Lobos with 60 blocks ranking sixth all-time in Lobo single-season history and is second in the league in blocked shots per game (2.1). In addition, van der Keijl leads the Mountain West in field-goal percentage (59.0).
The Broncos are led by a trio of players averaging scoring in double digits including senior Brooke Pahukoa (13.1 ppg), junior Shalen Shaw (10.7 ppg) and redshirt-sophomore Marijke Vanderschaaf (10.5 ppg). Shaw also leads the squad in rebounds with 7.0 per game.
Last Time They Met:
The last time UNM faced Boise State was on the road on Feb. 15 when the Lobos fell by a narrow score of 64-62 in the final seconds. Junior Alex Lapeyrolerie hit a game-tying 3-pointer with 27 seconds left in the game but the Broncos hit a jumper with .7 seconds left to go up by two. The Lobos drafted a play and attempted a gamewinner at the buzzer, but the comeback fell short. The teams also played in January at WisePies Arena – The Pit, a game UNM won by a score of 75-68.
Series History:
The Lobos and the Broncos have split their Mountain West tournament series, 1-1. UNM claimed a 51-50 win on March 9, 2012 in Las Vegas as the No. 7 seed before Boise State earned a 66-60 win over UNM on March 13, 2015, knocking out the No. 2 seed Lobos in the championship game. Boise State leads the all-time series record 9-6.
The Coaches:
The 2017 Mountain West Championships will mark the first for head coach Mike Bradbury in his inaugural season with the Lobos. Bradbury is 15-14 in his tenure at UNM while holding a 193-131 overall record in his 10-season career.
Boise State is led by Gordy Presnell in his 12th season with the Broncos. He has guided BSU to a 217-156 record and boasts a 612-283 record in his 30th season of his career.
Broadcast Information:
The 2017 Mountain West Championships will be available to watch live on the Mountain West Network. Fans can also follow all of the action via live stats. In addition, Josh Suchon will cover the play-by-play action locally on 610 AM while the Mountain West radio coverage will also be available on the Mountain West Championships Central page.