Boise State loses its top scorer to Pac-12; Bronco soccer team falls to San Diego State

The Arizona State women’s basketball team has acquired two of the top players in the Mountain West, including Boise State’s leading scorer.

A day after officially adding San Jose State graduate transfer Ayzhiana Basallo, the Sun Devils received a commitment from Boise State guard Jade Loville, who entered her name in the transfer portal last month.

Loville made the announcement Friday in posts shared on Instagram and Twitter.

“I chose Arizona State because I believe coach Charli (Turner Thorne) has created a strong culture in her 25 years of being there,” Loville told the Idaho Statesman. “The relationships that I’ve built with the coaching staff have played a big role, and they’re going to elevate not only my game but also my growth as a person.

“Returning to my birthplace to play in front of my dad completes Arizona State as being the best opportunity for me. I’m so grateful to be a Sun Devil.”

Loville led the Broncos in scoring this past season — and ranked second in the Mountain West — at 17.1 points per game. She was voted to the All-Mountain West first team. The 5-foot-10 guard from Sammamish, Washington, shot 42.9% from the floor and 83.6% from the free-throw line.

Despite playing three seasons at Boise State, Loville will have two years of eligibility remaining with the Sun Devils should she choose to use the extra year granted by the NCAA because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Arizona State finished the 2020-21 season 12-12 overall and 6-9 in Pac-12 action, earning a spot in the WNIT.

Loville set a program record with 40 points in the Broncos’ 85-59 victory over UNLV on Feb. 10. Loville broke the record of 39 established by Miquelle Askew against San Jose State on Jan. 20, 2016. Loville’s 40 points also tied for the most in Mountain West history by a junior and tied for the sixth most overall in conference history.

Loville is one of just four players in Boise State basketball history — female or male — to score 40 points or more in a single game. Chandler Hutchison (2018), Ron Austin (twice in 1971) and Carl Powell (1979) each accomplished the feat for the men’s team.

Women’s soccer: SDSU ends Broncos’ playoff hopes

Any chance the Boise State women’s soccer team had of advancing to the Mountain West’s cross-divisional playoff required a win over San Diego State on Friday.

But senior forward Chloe Frisch made sure that didn’t happen, scoring unassisted in the 51st minute to lift the Aztecs to a 1-0 victory over the Broncos at Boas Soccer Complex.

In a preseason poll of the league’s coaches, San Diego State (7-2-0) and Boise State (4-4-1) were voted the co-favorites, and Friday’s match pitted the Mountain West’s top goal-scoring team against one of its best defenses. The Broncos beat the Aztecs 2-0 to win the 2019 Mountain West Tournament championship.

“Well, I think it’s two teams with strengths that oppose one another,” Boise State coach Jim Thomas told the Idaho Statesman in a postgame interview. “The best side of theirs is their attack, and the best side of ours is our defense, and you saw that battle going on by our goal, and in their attacking half.

“I thought we were tremendous defensively, more so in the second half actually, even though we gave up the goal. Some of the stuff in the first half was desperate. We looked a lot more controlled and organized in the second half.”

Boise State was outshot 11-3 in the first half, but the Broncos limited the Aztecs to five shots over the final 45 minutes.

With Friday’s win over the Broncos, San Diego State clinched a spot in the cross-divisional playoff against New Mexico on April 17. The winner earns the Mountain West’s NCAA Tournament bid.

The Broncos were without senior forward Aubree Chatterton, who suffered a season-ending ankle injury two weeks ago. Chatterton, a reigning All-Mountain West first-team pick, leads all current BSU players with 13 career goals and 10 assists. Fellow starters Keile Hansen and Anna Campanella also were limited by injuries, which made it easier for the Aztecs to isolate the Broncos’ remaining offensive threats.

Junior Kiara Simpson had Boise State’s only shot on goal in the 66th minute. Junior Sydney Smith started in goal for the Broncos and made three saves.

“It stings. But you’re playing a rematch of the final without what we’ve got available, when the people that could be here aren’t here,” Thomas said. “We know what we’ve got coming back, and we know what we’ve got coming in as freshmen. We’re just excited about it, and we’re trying to keep these guys in a balanced perspective.

“Can’t ask more from a squad. They did everything they could on a given day. It didn’t go their way.”

Boise State will play its final match of a condensed spring season at 1 p.m. Sunday against UNLV. The Broncos will honor seniors Delaney Watson, Jazel Bowers, Mikayla Schachtell and Ashleigh Harrison. Chatterton plans to take advantage of the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“I definitely think this season has been a steppingstone and a great learning opportunity for our team,” Boise State junior Macie Nelson said. “Hopefully we’ll keep growing into the (traditional) fall (season).”