LAS VEGAS – After all but one of the higher-ranked seeds advanced out of the first round, day two of the Women’s 2026 Mountain West Championships kicks off with top seed San Diego State facing No. 9 Air Force. Check back here to get full recaps and coverage of all four contests from the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
No. 9 Air Force 83, No. 1 San Diego State
For the first time in program history Air Force (15-17) has won multiple games in a Mountain West tournament, as they stunned regular season champion San Diego State (25-5) to earn the Falcons' first berth in the semifinals since 2022 and for the second time ever.
Senior guard Milahnie Perry scored a career-high 33 points, getting 21 in the second half, while senior forward Emily Adams had 20 points and eight rebounds while making a critical 10 of 11 from the free throw line. Air Force had four players score in double-figures, as they shot 53.8% (14-for-26) from the field in the second half where the Falcons outscored the Aztecs 57-44.
Perry also grabbed a game-high nine rebounds, helping AFA control the battle on the boards 34-22 and 21-9 in the second half.
Another key was keeping SDSU from getting clean looks from downtown. Before the Aztecs' leading scoring Naomi Panganiban (29 points) made three straight 3-pointers in the final 36 seconds, the Falcons had held San Diego State to 4-for-16 shooting from beyond the arc.
Air Force faces Boise State. The Broncos also took both from the Falcons, winning 70-59 in USAFA, Colo. on Jan. 7 and then earning a 70-62 win at ExtraMile on Feb. 18
No. 5 Boise State 62, No. 4 New Mexico 61
After leading by as much as 12 in the second quarter, Boise State (25-8) held off a spirited rally by New Mexico (22-10) and overcame a 3-point deficit with 1:16 remaining thanks to a pair of free throws by Dani Bayes and then a left post jumper by Tatum Thompson with six seconds remaining.
The Broncos had three players in double-figures, led by 15 points by Bayes while Thompson added 13 points with eight rebounds and Natalie Pasco scored 11 points by going 3-for7 from downtown, making half of BSU's six triples for the game. Destinee Hooks put the Lobos on her back, scoring 16 of her game-high 29 points in the second half, but missed a potential game-winning shot in the paint with 2 seconds remaining. Cacia Antonio added 12 points and eight rebounds for UNM.
Both teams shot below 40.0% in the opening half, but Boise State rained five 3-pointers led by 9 points at the break after holding the Lobos to 26.5% shooting — New Mexico had overcome a halftime deficit just once during the regular season. UNM forced 10 Bronco turnovers in the second half that turned into a 12-5 scoring edge off giveaways to fuel the comeback.
But Boise State made their final four field goals and made 6 of 8 shots in the fourth quarter, while New Mexico missed their final three and went 9 of 19 in the final frame. The Broncos are in the semifinals for the second time in three seasons and will be looking for their first trip to the title game since 2020.
No. 2 UNLV 79, No. 7 Fresno State 65
The Lady Rebels (21-10) opened the game with an 8-0 run and never trailed, using a 13-0 run to build their lead out to double-digits at 2:10 of the first quarter and never looked back in a dominant opening win.
Meadow Rowland had game-highs of 19 points and nine rebounds for UNLV, while Shelbee Brown scored 14 points with three steals and Destiny Leo added 12 points on 4-for-5 shooting from 3-point land. The Mountain West's preseason favorites shot 50.0% from the field and had assists on 20 of their 26 field goals.
Fresno State (14-18) missed six of their first seven shots and never recovered, with Emilia Long leading the way with 19 points on 5-for-18 shooting with seven rebounds, and Danae Powell scored 17 points while Avery Watkins came off the bench to net 16 points. Beyond that trio, the rest of the Bulldogs lineup combined to score 13 points on 6 of 18 shooting.
UNLV led by as much as 24 points just over a minute into the fourth quarter and have now advanced to the tournament semifinals for the fifth straight season.
The Lady Rebels split the season series against Colorado State, with both teams winning on their home court. UNLV won 64-51 at the Pavilion on Jan. 31, 2025, in what was the third-most points the Rams allowed in conference play. CSU turned around and took the Feb. 25 meeting at Moby Arena 77-61 in what was their third-highest scoring performance in conference.
No. 3 Colorado State 61, No. 6 Grand Canyon 59
Trailing by 12 points with 1:25 remaining in the third quarter, Colorado State (24-7) staged a courageous comeback led by Lexus Bargesser and Kelly Froebe to retake the lead inside of four minutes remaining, but needed a last-second score by Madelyn Bragg to advance.
Bargesser scored a game-high 19 points, with 11 coming in the final 1:25 of the game, while Froebe and Brooke Carlson scored 15 points apiece. GCU spread the wealth around, with Julianna LaMendola leading the Lopes with 13 points as they had six difference players finish with multiple field goals.
Grand Canyon (13-18) outscored CSU 18-8 in the second quarter to take an 8-point lead at the half thanks to runs of 6-0 and 7-0. Chloe Mann scored five of her 12 points for GCU in the second stanza, where she made 3 of 3 from the free throw line as part of going 8-for-8 in the game. The sixth-seed shot 40.0% in the opening half while holding the Rams to 33.3% shooting.
But it was the transition game that helped Colorado State shake loose in the second half, as they outscored GCU 12-2 on the run with all coming in the fourth quarter and shot 50.0% from the field. The Rams made 9 of their final 14 shots, while Grand Canyon made just 5 of their last 16 attempts.
CSU is back in the semifinals for the fourth time in five seasons and will be looking to avenge a 65-52 loss to UNLV the last time they advanced that far in 2024.
This story was updated at 11:24 p.m.