MOUNTAIN WEST WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 8, 2026

Gordy Presnell

Dani Bayes

Mya Hansen

Thomas & Mack Center

Boise State Broncos

Postgame Press Conference

Boise State 62, New Mexico 61

THE MODERATOR: We're going to begin with Boise State. Student-athletes Dani Bayes, Mya Hansen, Coach Gordy Presnell. Let's get your thoughts on this afternoon's game, Coach?

GORDY PRESNELL: It was an exciting game. Our kids, I thought, really battled and played outstanding and were ahead most of the way. I don't know how many seconds they were ahead or minutes they were ahead, but I thought our kids really did a nice job.

Then I want to congratulate them on a great year. It came down to the last shot, and they ran a good play and didn't fall. We didn't panic. We secured the ball. Game is over, and we get to advance.

THE MODERATOR: Questions for the student-athletes.

Q. For Dani, Coach talked about you guys not panicking. How do you avoid doing that right when you kind of go on these swings where you are up maybe a score or two and then you go down five, six points, and then it swings back the other way in these really tight games?

DANI BAYES: I think it just comes down to experience. We've been on the other side of that, and we haven't bounced back from being down, so I think especially with our leadership we're kind of able to calm ourselves down on the court without needing a timeout, so to say.

I think that's a major advantage for us, especially against teams that maybe aren't as experienced.

Q. Dani, what was that game like to play in? I think that both teams played their best basketball down the stretch. Honestly it seems like every time that you guys fell behind, you were the one that kind of answered the call.

DANI BAYES: It's really exciting. Obviously an environment like that, they had a lot of supporters there, and so do we, but I think we're on the smaller size but not the louder size.

But it's really -- I don't know. I think when you come down to tournament play everything is kind of crazy, so I think being able to, you know, hit a shot or two, obviously, yes, they didn't really shoot the ball that well, so it's nice to see a couple go through.

Then also I think we were able to find Tatum on back cuts and try to get the ball going through hands. It's obviously a really fun environment to play in, but coming out on top is always nice.

Q. Chemistry and camaraderie, they seem like buzz words, but what was the value of your team's bond in the final four minutes of that game?

DANI BAYES: Oh, I mean, that's the outcome that you get, right? You know, I think playing with us four and then Libby as well, we just know where each other are going to be, and we can depend on each other, especially in those defensive -- the plays at the end with Libby and just talking. It's just also special for us, I think, in our last year really trying to, like, get this thing going and make something special happen.

Q. One for you, Mya. That last bucket that you set Tatum up for what was going through your mind when you took the court? Any doubt that Tatum was just the perfect person to take that shot?

MYA HANSEN: Yeah, obviously we had a play set up going into it. Basketball is a game of adaption, so you have to just adapt to whatever they give you, so obviously our first looks weren't there. I full-heartedly trust every single one of our teammates to knock down any shot.

I just saw Tatum with the open look, and you can just tell in her eye that her little midi-fade never fails. Super happy for her, and though doubt, I would trust her in that situation at any moment, but I have the same feeling about every single person on this team as well.

Q. Same question I asked Dani at the top there. What was it like to play in that basketball game?

MYA HANSEN: It was crazy. It was pretty fun, obviously. Coming down to our last couple of games playing basketball, every time we just get to step on the court means everything to me. Not only just to shoot a basketball, but to be surrounded with our coaches, our teammates.

So I think it's all just taking that in, taking those aspects in at once, and obviously, like Dani said too, the games of ebbs and flows, you have to stick with it.

That's what makes it fun. That's what makes it exciting, to get the crowd involved, to get us involved. So I just enjoyed every minute stepping on that court with my teammates and best friends.

Q. Two of the biggest plays in that game, how about Mason?

MYA HANSEN: Oh, she was amazing for us today. What's great about her is that she can step up at any moment, and today was her moment.

I'm proud of her, especially being a freshman stepping up in those times that we needed her. Obviously it may not be the thing that's shown. Everybody looks at points. Everybody looks at assists. But we look at rebounds and just the stops and the little things she gets done for us, it's a huge win. Same with Libby. Same with Tatum.

Those guys can just contest shots, they can box out, they can get us rebounds. That's what truly wins a game, and she truly helped us win that game today.

Q. Because he won't acknowledge it, Gordy set the all-time wins conference at the Mountain West Conference Tournament. Wins are cool, but down here they have different value. I'll start with you, Mya, and then Dani, if you want to add onto it, for the guy sitting to your right how cool is that?

MYA HANSEN: It's awesome. We got to celebrate him in the locker room, which is pretty cool. Just to be surrounded by that success and achievements he's had as a coach, it just kind of trickles down onto us, which is cool we get to witness this, we get to witness history in the making.

It's just an awesome moment, yeah, to give him props, because obviously when it comes down to it, everybody has plays for players, but they're the ones that are behind the scenes 24/7 getting us ready for these games, and that's where I think the credit comes to, especially when it comes to tournament time, because everybody plays hard.

It's about who can make adjustments and adaptions, and that's what he does for us.

DANI BAYES: You did pretty good. I'll say something. I just think it's obviously really awesome, and having that trust and his faith in us means a lot to us on the court. I just hope that we can end this Mountain West out on the right leg for him and just make him proud in the aspect. A couple more coming your way, hopefully.

THE MODERATOR: We'll dismiss the student-athletes at this time. Thank you, ladies. Questions for Coach.

Q. Gordy, that was a really high-level basketball game in the fourth quarter. Like I was asking the girls, I know chemistry and camaraderie, those can be buzz words, but it seems like they have meaning and value with this team. How confident were you in the moments where you needed them to come through?

GORDY PRESNELL: There wasn't much nervousness, and there wasn't any panic. We've had this mantra coming into the tournament that when adversity hits, we're going to stand up, stand up to it, because we had a real bad end of the year against UNLV.

These kids have done that the last couple of days. It's just been an honor to be a part of their lives and what they've accomplished in terms of the growth over the four years and who they are as people.

People don't always remember, but we're No. 2 in the country in academics. 3.81, that's their average GPA on our team. Just really proud of them. They're student-athletes first. The four seniors, four 1,000 point scorers all at Boise State, so I've been pretty fortunate.

Q. I just wanted to ask about Mason really quick. She had a couple of big moments for you. Honestly, it might have been the difference at the end of the day, right? They were momentum-swinging plays. What was it she responded, especially Libby was kind of dealing with foul trouble and things like that.

GORDY PRESNELL: We couldn't keep Libby on the floor. I don't know how many minutes she played, but didn't play very many. We tried all three posts, and Mason just had a great game.

It's funny, just today when are one of these freshmen going to spike? Everyone spikes once in a while, you know, and we haven't had a spike out of a freshman in a while. Then here she goes and gets 8 points and 8 boards in the quarterfinal of the Mountain West Tournament.

Really proud of her. Proud of her not being afraid of the moment, embracing the moment, and getting after it.

Q. I just want to get thoughts on drawing Air Force now in the semifinals and what that match-up might look like.

GORDY PRESNELL: Well, I voted for Perry as the Most Valuable Player. She's just a tremendous player. There are very few players that just can create their shot at any time and just go up strong.

I think she dates a kid from Lapwai. That's where I'm from, Indian reservation, Northern Idaho. I've been rooting for her, but not tomorrow.

We got to prepare ourselves, get ready for their athleticism, their full-court pressure, and then this sounds kind of trivial, but it isn't. I take it real seriously. Air Force tries as hard as they can, and that's hard to do this day and age with kids. They try as hard as they can. That makes it really difficult.

I was proud of their win. I was proud of their coach. They're relentless in their effort.