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MOUNTAIN WEST WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 11, 2019

Las Vegas, Nevada

Boise State - 72, Nevada - 67

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Boise State head coach Gordy Presnell and student-athletes Braydey Hodgins and Riley Lupfer. Coach, an opening statement.

COACH PRESNELL: Happy with the win, happy to get to advance. Nevada played a great game coming off a great game yesterday. And fortunate we made plays, and fortunate to have two players like the two that are next to me that made plays as well. We're pleased with the victory and happy to move on.

THE MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. Obviously a historic night, 37 for Braydey. You needed all 37 of them tonight. What was it about her performance that impressed you?
COACH PRESNELL: Braydey is an exceptional player and has this ability to play in pressure situations and excel. And she's just as happy when someone else shines and maybe she doesn't score as much. But tonight was her night.

And just like she has last year in this tournament, last year in the league championship at Washington, she excelled when it really counted for us and had an exceptional performance and really proud of her.

Q. You got off to a slow start obviously and only were up two at half. Looked like you were going to take control up 11. But I think you had one point from like the sixth minute of the fourth quarter to the last minute. What was it like on the 11-0 run?
COACH PRESNELL: I thought we could have broke them if we could have secured a rebound. And we did not secure the rebound and they went and scored. We went down, took a quick shot, and they went back and hit a 3. And all of a sudden the momentum changed. We were close but we didn't -- they play with a lot of heart. They're a very good team well-coached.

Q. Any reason for the slow start? Just nerves or just the slow start?
COACH PRESNELL: I think -- usually, anyway, in my years of coaching, the top seeds, 1, 2, 3, 4, whoever is the top seed, whether it's a 4 versus 9 or whatever it is, but you start off pretty slow. The other team had a game yesterday. And there's just a different level of intensity and a different level -- for anything else -- a different level of trying hard.

And so I think most top seeds, when a team comes and plays the day before, might struggle early. And we did.

Q. Obviously the tournament game against Nevada last year was a close one. You had to win on a buzzer-beater. What makes them a tough matchup for you guys?
COACH PRESNELL: Their length. Their guards are very quick. They space you out very well. They shot the 3 exceptionally well against us early and kind of got us on our heels. And then they isolate down low with those kids, those big kids, and it's really difficult.

And, like I said, they're very well coached and they're going to have some big things in the future for them, I'm sure.

Q. You've been coaching quite a few. To see Braydey Hodgins break a tournament record that has stood since 2002, what does that mean to you and to the program?
COACH PRESNELL: I'm just really proud of her. Like I've said over and over, if you need her to be a complementary player and be happy for someone else, she's glad to do that. When she's out of the game on the bench, she's amazingly engaged in the game. And then she can take over a game like all the games I talked about earlier. And there just isn't very many players that are like that. And we're the better for it, that's for sure.

Q. Braydey, what did it feel like to score 37? And you heard about the record and just I don't know if you're peeking up at the scoreboard at all. Did you realize you were having a big game?
BRAYDEY HODGINS: Obviously I knew I was having a big game. Didn't necessarily look up to the scoreboard to know that. But I think the mini run in the first half was sparked by Ellie Woerner and her exceptional rebounding ability and long length at the guard position. And she gave us great energy off the bench.

That kind of got us on a roll. Luckily in that time I was hitting shots. So I'm thankful for her in that position and just being aware. She tipped a rebound backward to me for a 3. So that doesn't happen often.

But tough game. I mean we didn't expect it like that. But we knew Nevada was going to come out swinging. They did it last year in the championship and they did it again tonight.

Q. What does it mean to have your best game of your career in the tournament when your team really needed you to step up? To do it today in a game like this and help your team move on, what does this mean to you personally?
BRAYDEY HODGINS: I mean, we came here knowing that we were going to stay here until Wednesday, and we're hoping we're able to do it tomorrow. Doesn't mean anything personally. I just want to win this thing do it next to people like Riley and all of our other teammates that we just have such a great bond.

And no matter who is performing we're all happy for them. Luckily it was me today, but tomorrow it might be someone else and we just have to prepare for that.

Q. Riley, what did you see from her performance, 37 and obviously you guys needed all of them?
RILEY LUPFER: I'm going to say I'm not surprised. You see it on the floor but -- she's a great basketball player but she's so smart -- the way Nevada was guarding the ball screens, she was just patient. She was, like, okay, you're going to go under. I'm going to hit this 3. You're going to high hedge and go over, then I'm going to get to the rim and get a foul call.

She's been good at that her whole career. I played her in high school. She got to the free throw line more than I want to know. She just adjusts and she makes everybody around her better. And her getting to the rim makes -- opens up other people too. And it's just, like, how do you guard her? It's not fun and I can speak from that with practice.

Q. Braydey, I saw on Twitter that you scored like 46 points in high school. So how does this game compare to that game?
BRAYDEY HODGINS: I would say it compares a little differently because I think in that game I shot 22 free throws. So there were those other points. But in high school -- I was talking to Tamara earlier -- I was more of a driver.

So shooting 3s wasn't my first instinct in high school. It was getting to the free-throw line. That's something that's always been in my game. And in college you're going against bigger players. I'm not able to get some contact and then go up and finish, it's a little bit tougher.

So the difference for me in college, when you're playing out on the wing, you've got to be able to shoot the 3. I think I've developed that well this year. When they want to chase me off the 3-point line I'm able to do something different.

RILEY LUPFER: I'll say in high school she dropped 40 on us. Probably had 20 free throws. I remember that.

Q. Riley, you hit three 3s today. I know that you would like to score some more points besides from Braydey. What is it going to take to turn things around for the next game?
RILEY LUPFER: Braydey can go out and drop 50 tomorrow, but if the scoreboard says we win, we win; that's all that matters.

Q. What did you guys see in terms of the slow start, and then obviously in the fourth quarter there, too, when they were making the comeback, what did you see in terms of being able to pull it out at the end?
RILEY LUPFER: I would say, yeah, we had a slow start. But we get this feeling. We have these good practices before a game and it's a good vibe. And we have this feeling between us all that no matter what happens, no matter how we start, no matter how the middle of the game is, that at the end we're going to finish, play our basketball, and we're going to come out with the win.

BRAYDEY HODGINS: I'll reiterate what Coach said. We have a lot of experience here with a lot of our returners. But still, for the freshmen, it's a shell shock, pressure environment.

So it's hard when you're the 1 seed, or 1 through 5, I guess, and you haven't played a game. So Nevada already had a game under their belt. They kind of felt the court out a little bit, felt their shot, and they were feeling it early.

So we have to be able to sustain those runs and be able to go on bigger runs ourselves. Like Riley said, that feeling we get, they went on an 11-0 run to tie it up, but I never thought once we were going to lose that game.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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