The Nevada Wolf Pack scored 48 points in the second half when they defeated Boise State on Jan. 26.
On Wednesday night, they had 47 - in the entire game.
In a game where their top scorer made as many field goals as the entire Nevada roster, the Broncos rolled to a 73-47 rout in Taco Bell Arena, their third straight Mountain West victory.
They held the Wolf Pack to the fewest field goals made (10) by a Boise State opponent in more than 20 years.
"I thought it was a game we won with our defense, and that's a really good sign for this team," said Boise State coach Leon Rice, whose team is allowing 59.8 points per game in its past six contests. "This team's kind of coming together right now, it feels like we're peaking at the right time … we're in a good place right now."
Nevada shot 10-of-38 from the field (26.3 percent), its worst shooting percentage of the season and its second-lowest scoring output. The Wolf Pack (12-15, 3-10 MW) made their first attempt from the field, a 3-pointer, to take an early 3-2 lead, but then saw Boise State (19-8, 7-6) answer with a 14-0 run for a double-digit lead it never relinquished.
"They hit us with the first punch and they were on a high level the rest of the game, and we never got in a rhythm," Nevada guard Malik Story said.
Story combined with fellow guard Deonte Burton for 33 points in the Wolf Pack's 75-59 win over the Broncos last month. On Wednesday, the pair was held to 21 on 5-of-19 shooting.
The talented guards helped Nevada to 16 fastbreak points in the prior meeting, but the Broncos didn't allow any Wednesday. Nevada coach David Carter said "there were really no driving lanes" for his team, which was 6-of-25 on 2-point field goals. The Wolf Pack were 16-of-25 on 2-pointers Jan. 26.
"We got back in transition, because that's what killed us last time," Boise State forward Ryan Watkins said.
Boise State forced 17 turnovers, turning them into 18 points, and outrebounded Nevada 37-21. The Broncos also had a 36-12 edge in scoring in the paint and a 17-2 advantage on second-chance points.
"I think all of us bought into what the coaches were saying, and we just executed," Boise State guard/forward Anthony Drmic said.
Drmic had a game-high 26 points (on 10-of-18 shooting), with 19 coming in the second half - he now has 65 points in the second half in his past three games. Watkins added 14 points and eight rebounds, while guard Derrick Marks had six points, seven rebounds, eight assists and four steals.
"When things aren't going your way offensively, sometimes on defense it gets depressing," Burton said. "It's hard to guard. I think we were doing a good job at one point in the game, but then guys were just driving right by us."
Boise State's three straight Mountain West wins matches its best run in the league, with three critical games remaining against teams ranked in the top 32 in RPI, starting with Colorado State on Saturday.
"We're going to have to really, really battle on every possession to compete with these guys," Rice said.
