Boise State’s Mountain West opener decided by yet another wild finish at The Pit
Two seasons ago, Boise State’s men’s basketball game at New Mexico resulted in a suspension and public reprimand after both teams cleared their benches at the end of the game.
Wednesday’s Mountain West Conference opener in front of 10,301 fans at The Pit was every bit as intense.
Boise State senior RJ Williams was ejected with 5:08 to play, and the Broncos missed three go-ahead shots in the final 20 seconds of an 80-78 loss at New Mexico.
The game was tied at 68-all when Williams and New Mexico’s Carlton Bragg exchanged words after Williams was called for a loose-ball foul while battling for an offensive board under the Broncos’ basket.
Both players were issued technical fouls, then Williams was given a second technical — his third foul during the confrontation — and ejected from the game for getting in one last verbal jab at Bragg.
“(RJ)’s got to be smarter than that,” Boise State coach Leon Rice said. “He’s got to walk away when it’s time to walk away. They both got T’d. It should have ended there. He said one more thing, and that hurt the team. He knows that, and he’s got to be smarter than that. Plus, it eliminated him from the game. I mean, that was a big, big play.”
Senior guard Alex Hobbs made two free throws with 46.3 seconds on the clock to put Boise State ahead 78-77. The Lobos responded with a layup from Bragg for a 79-78 advantage with 34 seconds left.
After an official review, Justinian Jessup’s ensuing go-ahead 3-point attempt was ruled tipped out of bounds by New Mexico with 18.7 seconds to play, giving Boise State another chance for the lead. This time, Hobbs’ corner 3 missed the mark, and the Broncos were forced to foul with New Mexico already in the bonus.
But the game still wasn’t over.
New Mexico’s Zane Martin made 1-of-2 free throws with 2.1 seconds left. Hobbs tried for a long inbound pass across halfcourt to Jessup, and the ball was intercepted by New Mexico’s JJ Caldwell as he stepped out of bounds.
The Broncos (4-3, 0-1 MW) got one final look with 0.9 seconds left, but Jessup was swarmed by two New Mexico defenders and his desperation 3-point attempt bounced off the backboard.
“Our guys came in with great resolve, and they battled for 2 hours,” Rice said. “It came down to a dumb play by us with the double-T thing, and then you’ve got to make them down the stretch of the game to win the close ones.”
Jessup led Boise State with 24 points, including six 3-pointers, and Derrick Alston (20 points), Marcus Dickinson (16) and Hobbs (14) also scored in double digits for the Broncos. Jessup’s 24 points were a season high and one short of tying his career best. He now has 1,184 career points, overtaking Pat Hoke (1,165, 1972-76) for No. 13 on Boise State’s all-time scoring list.
New Mexico senior guard JaQuan Lyle led all scorers with 31 points, six assists, four rebounds and seven fouls drawn. After missing much of the first half with foul trouble, Bragg came a rebound short of a double-double with 17 points and nine boards.
“It’s crazy because coach talked about how they can be down six points and they get a breakaway shot and the crowd goes wild like they are up 20,” Dickinson said of a game that featured 17 lead changes and 10 ties. “It’s just about keeping our head and just pushing to the next play.”
Boise State had hoped to earn just its third win at New Mexico in program history after a strong first half.
Boise State won the opening tip and went right to work as Hobbs found Alston for an easy layup. Dickinson and Jessup each connected from deep early, helping the Broncos build a 14-6 lead with 14:52 on the clock.
Jessup was 4-for-6 from 3-point range and 6-for-10 from the field for 16 points at the half. The Broncos knocked down 7-of-14 3-pointers and had 11 assists on 15 made baskets by halftime.
New Mexico (8-2, 1-0) led just once in the opening 20 minutes, 35-34 on a Lyle triple, and the two teams went into the break tied at 39-all.
Boise State continues Mountain West play Saturday when it hosts Colorado State (6-4, 0-1) at 7 p.m. at ExtraMile Arena. Fans who attend the Mountain West football championship game earlier in the day between Boise State and Hawaii can purchase tickets for the men’s basketball game for $5 each, while supplies last. Discounted tickets can be purchased on game day or ahead of time through the Boise State Athletic Ticket Office.
NEW MEXICO 80, BOISE ST. 78
BOISE ST. (4-3, 0-1 MW)
Alston 7-13 4-6 20, Hobbs 5-10 2-3 14, Dickinson 6-9 0-1 16, Jessup 8-17 2-2 24, Williams 1-1 0-0 2, Abercrombie 0-0 0-0 0, Jorch 0-1 2-2 2, Rice 0-1 0-0 0, Dennis 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 27-53 10-14 78.
NEW MEXICO (8-2, 1-0 MW)
Bragg 6-11 5-7 17, Lyle 10-17 8-10 31, Caldwell 4-10 0-0 8, Maluach 3-3 0-0 6, Jackson 2-5 2-2 6, Manigault 3-5 2-2 8, Percy 0-0 0-0 0, McGee 0-0 0-0 0, Martin 1-6 2-4 4. Totals 29-57 19-25 80.
Halftime — 39-39. 3-Point Goals — Boise St. 14-28 (Jessup 6-10, Dickinson 4-6, Hobbs 2-5, Alston 2-6, Dennis 0-1), New Mexico 3-14 (Lyle 3-7, Martin 0-2, Jackson 0-2, Caldwell 0-3). Fouled Out — Williams. Rebounds — Boise St. 24 (Alston, Jorch 5), New Mexico 25 (Bragg 9). Assists — Boise St. 19 (Alston 6), New Mexico 19 (Caldwell 7). Total Fouls — Boise St. 20, New Mexico 14. Technicals — Williams 2, Bragg. A — 10,301 (15,411).
This story was originally published December 4, 2019 at 9:48 PM.
