Boise State’s 3-point flurry buries Fresno State on way to Broncos’ first league road win
Jimmer Fredette’s time at the top is running out.
Boise State senior Justinian Jessup moved within eight 3-pointers of breaking the former BYU standout’s Mountain West career record after making five in the Broncos’ 87-53 victory over Fresno State on Saturday at Save Mart Center.
Jessup finished with 19 points and eight boards and now has 289 career triples to overtake Utah’s Nick Jacobson (2000-04) for No. 2 in league history. Fredette, who also holds the conference’s all-time points record, made 296 3-pointers from 2007 to 2011.
“When he was in college, he was just ridiculous,” Jessup said of Fredette. “He was pulling from everywhere. Teams couldn’t stop him. So to be mentioned in the same sentence as him, that’s crazy. I feel honored.”
While Fredette’s name remains littered throughout the Mountain West record book, Jessup is making a mark of his own in Boise State lore. He leapfrogged Ron Austin (1968-71) for No. 10 on the career scoring list (1,386) and moved into sole possession of fifth for career starts (110).
“The people that he’s been passing are great players,” Boise State coach Leon Rice said. “We know how many shots Jimmer got up. He was good at it. For Justinian to be doing this, he just kind of has done it in the dark a little bit as far as how quiet he is. He’s not one of those guys that maybe gets the national attention, but what a great player he is. He was terrific tonight.”
The Broncos (13-8, 5-4 MW) made 14-of-28 3-point attempts against the Bulldogs (6-14, 2-7), getting at least one triple from five different players. Boise State junior forward Abu Kigab accounted for four 3-pointers and a game-leading 23 points. RJ Williams and Derrick Alston notched 14 points apiece and combined for nine of the Broncos’ 19 assists.
Boise State’s 34-point victory is its largest margin in a conference road game since 2004, and the Bulldogs’ worst loss in Save Mart Center history, outdoing a 26-point loss to Utah State in 2010.
The Broncos held the Bulldogs without a field goal for 6 minutes, 36 seconds in the first half and 7:57 in the second. Fresno State finished with more turnovers (19) than made field goals (16).
“On both ends it’s maybe the best complete game that we’ve played,” Rice said.
Jessup sank his first 3-point attempt of the game, opening the door for a deadly night beyond the arc. Jessup knocked down 4-of-7 attempts in the opening 20 minutes, and Kigab followed right behind with a 3-for-3 performance from deep.
“I call him Mr. Splash Man. He makes a splash, man,” Kigab said of Jessup. “That’s my guy. Every open shot I think is going in, never even question it. ... He’s my roommate, so he gave me some of his little superpowers, so that helped me out a little bit (tonight). But I think our ball movement got us a lot of easy shots. We didn’t have to really force anything too much.”
After a pair of triples from Noah Blackwell made it 14-12 Fresno State, the Broncos went on a 13-0 run for a 25-14 advantage. Boise State’s lead grew to as many as 13 points, and the Broncos went to the locker room with a 35-26 lead.
Boise State made seven more 3s in the second half and threw down three of its four dunks. Alston’s third slam of the game, which came with 6:09 to play, was particularly jaw dropping.
“I was trailing behind him and I seen him go for it. I mean, he jumped, got a little boost and I seen his arm over the rim. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh,’ and boom, he put that down,” Kigab said. “That was one of the best in game dunks I’ve seen. It was great.”
The Broncos will be at home for their next two Mountain West games, beginning with San Jose State (7-14, 3-6) at 7 p.m. Wednesday at ExtraMile Arena. Boise State then hosts a rematch with Nevada (13-8, 6-3) at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 1.
Note: Before tipoff, Fresno State announced that junior forward Nate Grimes has been suspended indefinitely for conduct detrimental to the team, according to Robert Kuwada of the Fresno Bee. Grimes was averaging 12.2 points and 9.5 rebounds per game with 16 starts.
Broncos add walk-on
UMass Lowell transfer Donovan Ivory has joined the Boise State men’s basketball team as a walk-on.
The 6-foot-5 guard played in three games for the River Hawks last semester as a true freshman. He will be eligible to play for the Broncos at the conclusion of the fall 2020 semester.
“Donovan is an athletic player who brings tremendous effort and is a good fit with the culture of our program,” Rice said in a press release. “He wants to be here because of our reputation for player development, and we’re excited to get started with him.”
Originally from Appleton, Wisconsin, Ivory led Kaukauna High to the sectional final as a senior. He was named first-team all-state Division 2 by the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association and honorable mention by The Associated Press after averaging 20.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.8 assists per game.
“Boise State was the right choice for me because from the initial contact the coaches had an interest and belief in me,” Ivory said. “They said they were willing to work with me to help me achieve my goals as a player, as well as a student, and that was huge for me.
“My family felt really comfortable sending me here and, at the end of the day, I can see myself growing as a person and as a player under the guidance of the coaching staff here at Boise State.”
BOISE ST. 87, FRESNO ST. 53
BOISE ST. (13-8, 5-4 MW)
Jessup 7-13 0-0 19, Kigab 8-14 3-4 23, Alston 5-12 2-2 14, R.Williams 6-9 2-3 14, Dennis 2-5 0-0 4, Dickinson 1-2 0-0 3, Jorch 0-0 2-2 2, Hobbs 1-2 0-0 2, Rice 0-0 0-0 0, Abercrombie 2-2 0-0 6. Totals 32-59 9-11 87.
FRESNO ST. (6-14, 2-7 MW)
N.Williams 0-7 8-8 8, J.Hyder 1-5 2-3 4, Blackwell 5-7 0-0 14, Robinson 1-4 6-6 8, Agau 3-6 0-0 6, Campbell 2-4 0-0 4, Hart 3-6 1-1 7, Holland 0-2 0-0 0, Rojas 0-0 0-1 0, Diouf 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 16-43 17-19 53.
Halftime—Boise St. 35-26. 3-Point Goals—Boise St. 14-28 (Jessup 5-10, Kigab 4-6, Abercrombie 2-2, Alston 2-5, Dickinson 1-1, Hobbs 0-1, Dennis 0-3), Fresno St. 4-16 (Blackwell 4-5, Holland 0-1, Agau 0-2, Hart 0-2, J.Hyder 0-2, N.Williams 0-4). Rebounds—Boise St. 31 (Jessup 8), Fresno St. 22 (Robinson, Agau 5). Assists—Boise St. 19 (Alston, Dennis 5), Fresno St. 4 (N.Williams, J.Hyder, Blackwell, Diouf 1). Total Fouls—Boise St. 18, Fresno St. 15. A—6,432 (15,544).
This story was originally published January 25, 2020 at 8:06 PM.
