Alston flirts with triple-double as Boise State men’s basketball wins third game in a row
Within a span of 59 seconds early in the second half, starter RJ Williams went to the Boise State bench with his third foul, and UNC Wilmington guard Jaylen Sims knocked down a jumper to pull the Seahawks within one point of the Broncos.
A season ago, the Broncos might have lost confidence. But those moments only fuel them now.
Derrick Alston went straight to the rack for a layup, scoring two of his game-high 24 points in a wire-to-wire, 80-59 victory over UNC Wilmington on Friday night at ExtraMile Arena. It was the first meeting between the two programs.
“I think it was just kind of that limbo point in the game. Who’s gonna go and take it?” Alston said. “I just wanted to get in ball screens, make plays for myself and my teammates and just try and extend the lead.”
Alston has scored 22 or more points in five of Boise State’s first six games, but he flirted with his first triple-double — and just the second in program history — with seven assists and seven rebounds against the Seahawks (5-4).
“It was almost a quadruple-double because he drew 10 fouls, so that would have been pretty good,” Boise State coach Leon Rice said. “He had seven assists and no turnovers, and we didn’t make shots. We left three assists on the table for him where he got them and we just didn’t make them.
“… He’s the trigger of our offense as far as getting to the paint, getting guys shots, seeing over everything, finding Justinian (Jessup) in the corner and getting those guys some wide-open looks.”
Williams contributed a season-high 21 points and eight boards, and he was the Broncos’ offensive catalyst early. The 6-foot-7 senior from Los Angeles scored five of Boise State’s first 10 points as the Broncos raced out to a 10-0 lead. Williams got to the free-throw line four times in the first half and drew six fouls in the game.
“We need to find him more, we really do,” Rice said. “Our guys are going to keep working at that and keep getting better at it, because he drives a hard bargain, especially when he’s hitting the ball screen and rolling hard and we give him a good pass. He goes and attacks the rim.”
Jessup scored 16 of his 19 points in the second half, with six of those points coming during a key 14-2 Boise State run that ballooned a single-digit lead into a 20-point advantage with 5:45 left in the game. The 19-point outing gives Jessup 1,160 career points, which ranks No. 14 in program history. Jessup also added six rebounds, three assists and a career-high three blocks in the win.
“We definitely wanted to get this one before we got into conference play,” Alston said. “We’ve got a tough one down in New Mexico. I think each and every game we’re just getting a little bit better at everything we’re trying to do.”
Boise State’s next two games will be against Mountain West opponents and count toward the league standings. The Broncos (4-2) travel to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to face the Lobos in The Pit at 7 p.m. MT on Wednesday. BSU then hosts Colorado State at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, at ExtraMile Arena. The Mountain West Tournament will be played a week earlier this season, which is why teams are playing two December league matchups.
Notes: Redshirt freshman Riley Abercrombie logged his first official minutes as a Bronco when he entered at the 9:27 mark of the first half. Abercrombie injured his left hand in the Broncos’ exhibition opener and missed the first five games of the season. … Friday’s game was Rice’s 300th as the Broncos’ coach. He is only the second coach in program history to reach the milestone, joining Bobby Dye, who coached 346 games from 1983 through 1995.
Tourney invite; tipoff time change
▪ Earlier this week, the Broncos were invited to play in the 2020 Orlando Invitational along with Auburn, Belmont, Gonzaga, Michigan State, Saint Louis, Siena and Xavier. The tournament runs Nov. 26-29, 2020, at HP Field House at ESPN Wide World of Sports near Orlando, Florida. The bracket and matchups for the tournament will be released at a later date.
“It’s an elite field and probably going to be the best exempt event in the country next year,” Rice said.
▪ Boise State’s men’s basketball game against Colorado State on Saturday, Dec. 7, has been pushed back to a 7 p.m. start to allow fans to attend the Mountain West football championship game. The Broncos’ football game against Hawaii kicks off at 2 p.m. at Albertsons Stadium. Fans with a ticket to the football game can purchase tickets for the men’s basketball game that night for $5 each, while supplies last. Discounted tickets can be purchased on or before the game at the Boise State ticket office or by phone at 208-426-4737.
Volleyball: Four Broncos honored
For the fourth year in a row, the Boise State volleyball team had at least four players receive postseason recognition from the Mountain West.
Boise State senior outside hitter Janell Walley and sophomore middle blocker Jessica Donahue were named to the All-MW Team, while sophomore setter Danielle Boss received honorable mention recognition. Outside hitter Lauren Ohlinger was chosen as the Mountain West Freshman of the Year.
The Broncos (18-11), who finished Mountain West play in fourth, will find out Sunday if their season will continue when the NCAA and National Invitational Volleyball Championship brackets are announced.
BOISE ST. 80, UNC WILMINGTON 59
UNC WILMINGTON (5-4)
Linssen 4-8 6-7 14, Boggs 3-5 0-0 6, Sims 6-14 2-2 16, Okauru 3-6 0-0 7, Toews 0-3 0-0 0, Dodd 2-5 0-0 4, Bowen 1-3 0-0 2, Tolefree 1-4 0-1 2, Phillips 2-6 4-4 8, Jenkins 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 22-55 12-14 59.
BOISE ST. (4-2)
Jessup 7-17 3-4 19, Williams 9-11 3-7 21, Dickinson 1-3 0-0 3, Alston 7-17 9-10 24, Hobbs 2-6 0-0 5, Abercrombie 0-0 0-0 0, Jorch 3-4 0-1 6, Huang 0-0 0-0 0, Rice 0-1 0-0 0, Berry 0-0 0-0 0, Dennis 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 30-61 15-22 80.
Halftime — Boise St. 35-30. 3-Point Goals — UNC Wilmington 3-12 (Sims 2-4, Okauru 1-2, Phillips 0-1, Toews 0-1, Boggs 0-2, Tolefree 0-2), Boise St. 5-22 (Jessup 2-10, Dickinson 1-3, Hobbs 1-3, Alston 1-5, Dennis 0-1). Fouled Out — None. Rebounds — UNC Wilmington 28 (Linssen 7), Boise St. 29 (Williams 8). Assists — UNC Wilmington 8 (Toews 3), Boise St. 17 (Alston 7). Total Fouls — UNC Wilmington 23, Boise St. 16. A — 3,964 (12,480).
This story was originally published November 29, 2019 at 9:02 PM.
