Career nights from Kigab, Jessup propel Boise State to win over Cal State Northridge
Taking experience into account at ExtraMile Arena, Justinian Jessup and Abu Kigab are polar opposites.
But both Boise State men’s basketball players looked equally comfortable on the Broncos’ home floor Saturday.
In his home debut, Kigab scored a career-high 33 points with a career-best 11 rebounds, while Jessup moved to No. 2 for career 3-pointers made in Boise State’s 103-72 nonconference victory over Cal State Northridge.
Jessup, a four-year starter for the Broncos, connected on 6-of-7 from beyond the arc to increase his career total to 270 and pass Coby Karl (266, 2003-07) for the No. 2 spot in program history. He is just six triples away from breaking Anthony Drmic’s record of 275 set during the 2011 through 2016 seasons. Jessup’s 270 3-pointers also rank No. 5 in Mountain West history.
“That’s going to be coming quick,” Kigab said of the impending 3-point record.
Kigab, a transfer from Oregon, became eligible for the Broncos at the end of the first semester. His first three games in a Boise State uniform came during the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu. Saturday was his first chance to make an impression on the ExtraMile crowd of 4,121, and he notched his second straight double-double.
“It felt amazing. My teammates were backing me up. We were all making the right play, and some nights that’s just how it is,” Kigab said. “I just go out there and try to win the game. I’ll do whatever it takes. Sometimes I might have to score more. Sometimes I gotta rebound more. Sometimes I gotta pass more. Whatever my team needs, that’s what I do.”
Jessup finished with 24 points on 9-for-10 shooting from the floor, which included tying his career-best 3-point percentage of 85.7 percent. Jessup and Kigab combined to go an impressive 20-for-26 (76.9 percent) from the field and the team shot a collective 57.1 percent for the game.
“That’s when these guys are best, when they do what the game tells you to do,” Boise State coach Leon Rice said. “... These guys aren’t having to hunt their shots, because they find each other and they find the right guys. We’ve got a lot of unselfish players and that’s why you get 19 assists and move the ball so well.”
The first half was action-packed and a bit heated between the Broncos (9-5, 1-1 MW) and Matadors (3-11). The crowd cheered loudly and seemed to egg on Cal State Northridge standout Lamine Diane when he received a technical foul for expressing his displeasure with an official’s call while playing defense. Shortly after, Diane picked up his third foul on a charge and went to the bench for the remainder of the first half. The honorable mention All-American led the Matadors with 28 points, nine rebounds, four blocked shots and three steals.
Next came the career milestones for Jessup and Kigab. With a 3-pointer with 2:56 to play in the opening half, Kigab established a new career high in scoring with 19 points on 8-for-9 shooting, which included a perfect 3-for-3 clip from beyond the arc. Jessup matched Kigab’s effort from deep 1:38 later, and his third triple of the half moved him to No. 2 on the Broncos’ career list.
Cal State Northridge led 29-28 with 7:28 to play in the first half. Boise State then went on a 22-5 run for a 16-point, 50-34 lead going into the locker room. Kigab scored 13 of the Broncos’ points during that run and had 22 points by halftime.
“He had 33 (points) and it was like the easiest 33 just because he was letting it happen,” Jessup said. “He’s just another weapon for us, and he’s gonna do his job on defense and rebound the heck out of the ball like he did tonight, so it’s awesome to have him in the game.”
Redshirt junior Derrick Alston, the Broncos’ leading scorer, contributed 12 of his 17 points in the second half as the Broncos pushed their lead to as many as 33 points. The decisive advantage allowed Rice to empty his bench, including walk-ons Bing Huang and Chase Berry.
“I think once we all just get it clicking on the same night, we’re going to be really hard to beat,” Jessup said. “It’s just going to be about consistency for us. Just bring it every night and bring that energy and not having really any lapses. That’s the biggest thing.”
The Broncos resume Mountain West play against Wyoming at 6 p.m. Wednesday at ExtraMile Arena before traveling to Reno to face Nevada at 3:30 p.m. MT on Saturday, Jan. 4 (CBS Sports Network).
BOISE ST. 103, CS NORTHRIDGE 72
CS NORTHRIDGE (3-11)
Gomez 4-18 0-0 10, Diane 9-22 7-11 28, Harkless 2-3 3-4 8, Coleman 3-8 2-2 9, Brown 2-4 0-0 5, Harrick 1-3 0-0 2, Ndumanya 2-2 0-0 4, Ou 2-2 0-0 4, Pearre 1-2 0-1 2. Totals 26-64 12-18 72.
BOISE ST. (9-5)
Alston 5-12 5-6 17, Jessup 9-10 0-0 24, Kigab 11-16 8-9 33, Rice 1-3 0-0 2, Hobbs 2-2 0-0 4, Jorch 1-3 0-0 2, Williams 3-4 3-9 9, Dickinson 0-4 0-0 0, Dennis 1-4 4-6 6, Abercrombie 2-3 0-0 4, Berry 1-1 0-0 2, Huang 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 36-63 20-30 103.
Halftime — Boise St. 50-34. 3-Point Goals — CS Northridge 8-29 (Diane 3-6, Gomez 2-13, Harkless 1-1, Brown 1-2, Coleman 1-5, Harrick 0-2), Boise St. 11-23 (Jessup 6-7, Kigab 3-4, Alston 2-6, Abercrombie 0-1, Dennis 0-1, Rice 0-1, Dickinson 0-3). Fouled Out — Harkless, Ndumanya. Rebounds — CS Northridge 25 (Diane 9), Boise St. 40 (Kigab 11). Assists — CS Northridge 9 (Gomez 4), Boise St. 19 (Hobbs 7). Total Fouls — CS Northridge 23, Boise St. 19. A — 4,121 (12,480).
This story was originally published December 28, 2019 at 6:10 PM.
