Boise State’s 3-point shooting woes continue in men’s loss; record effort leads women to win
Boise State’s Derrick Alston drove through UC Irvine’s defense early in the second half Friday night at ExtraMile Arena and drew a foul only to grimace as he looked back and watched the ball roll around the rim and drop to the floor.
That’s the way it went for the Boise State men’s basketball team, which couldn’t find its stroke from 3-point range for the second game in a row and fell 69-60.
“With us, it’s all about shot selection, and it’s about getting each other shots,” Boise State coach Leon Rice said. “We can make shots. We’ve just got to select better ones and work harder to get better ones.”
The Broncos opened the game 3-of-18 from the floor and went into halftime 0-of-9 from beyond the arc. They finished shooting 49 percent (25-of-59) from the floor and 4-of-21 from 3-point range.
The loss was reminiscent of the 106-75 setback last Saturday at Oregon, which was the worst defeat of Rice’s tenure. In that loss, Boise State went 1-of-12 from 3-point range in the first half and finished 6-of-23.
“We got away from what we do. That’s what good teams do, they make you break down and they don’t let you do it. You have to fight to do it,” Rice said. “The strength of our team is our feel for the game and our ball movement, and we didn’t do a good enough job of that.”
Part of what kept Boise State (1-2) out of rhythm was UC Irvine’s size advantage and physicality. Without 6-foot-9 Riley Abercrombie (broken wrist) and 6-6 Abu Kigab (not eligible until December), the Broncos didn’t have an answer for the Anteaters’ 6-11 Brad Greene, who finished with 14 points and eight rebounds.
The Anteaters also weren’t shy when it came to contact. Boise State was in the foul bonus with 14 minutes left in the first half, and UC Irvine went into halftime having been whistled for 15 fouls. It finished with 28 fouls, and the Broncos went 22-of-29 from the free-throw line.
“That was maybe one of the most physical teams we’ve played in a long time,” Rice said. “You prepare your guys for it, but until you get hit that first time, you don’t know how physical it’s going to be.”
When they weren’t fouling, the Anteaters were hitting momentum-stealing 3-pointers like the one leading scorer Eyassu Worku (15 points) knocked down to squelch a second-half run and put UC Irvine on top, 52-41.
UC Irvine (3-1) led 38-24 at halftime and opened the second half with a 6-0 run, but Justinian Jessup knocked down the Broncos’ first 3-pointer of the game less than 4 minutes into the half.
Boise State’s Alston and RJ Williams then combined for a quick six points to cut the Anteaters’ lead to eight. Despite giving up several inches and more than a few pounds to UC Irvine’s frontcourt, Williams finished with a double-double — 20 points and 11 rebounds.
“(Williams) played maybe his best game as a Bronco,” Rice said. “He played his tail off and that’s the standard. That’s how we’re going to have to play.”
Alston rarely left the court Friday. He logged 39 minutes of playing time, finished with a game-high 22 points and went 12-for-12 from the free-throw line, which made him the fifth player in program history to be perfect from the charity stripe in a game with at least 12 attempts.
He also played 37 minutes against Oregon and scored 28 points.
“This is new waters for Derrick Alston,” Rice said. “He’s one of the better players around right now, so he’s got to get a lot of shots, but he doesn’t have to get them all on his own.”
With 4:40 to play, Williams knocked down a jumper, which sparked an 8-0 Boise State run. It was capped with a 3-pointer by Jessup, which pulled the Broncos within nine with 1:27 left on the clock, but that’s as close as they could get.
“We’ve just got to bring that fight we had at the end of the game at the start of the game and we’ll have a chance,” Alston said.
Boise State is back in action Wednesday when the Broncos host BYU at 8 p.m. (CBS Sports Network).
Women: Boise State 83, UAB 81
Riley Lupfer broke the school record for career 3-pointers as the Broncos prevailed in a Preseason WNIT consolation game.
Lupfer made five 3-pointers, giving her 262 in her career. She broke the previous mark of 260 set by Abby Vaughan (1999-2003).
“I’m really proud of her,” Boise State coach Gordy Presnell said in a press release. “She’s a culture kid, she buys in. Riley’s had one of the all-time great careers, a Hall of Fame-type career, at Boise State, and I’m glad she got the record.”
Mallory McGwire made a career-high four treys and scored a career-high 20 points. Braydey Hodgins added 19 points, six rebounds and five assists, and Lupfer scored 17.
The Broncos (3-1) trailed by as many as 11 points in the first quarter but led by two at half. They hung on for the win when UAB’s Miyah Barnes hit the rim with a 3-point attempt at the buzzer.
Boise State returns home to play Washington State at 5 p.m. Wednesday as part of a doubleheader with the men.
This story was originally published November 15, 2019 at 9:07 PM with the headline "Boise State’s 3-point shooting woes continue in men’s loss; record effort leads women to win."
