Alive and kicking: Boise State extends season with victory over SMU in NIT opener
Mladen Armus reached up and extended his left arm just enough to get a few fingers on the basketball.
Whether intended or not, the ball landed perfectly in the hands of Boise State teammate Devonaire Doutrive, who took one dribble and let loose a shot as three SMU men’s basketball players came charging toward him.
Doutrive’s jumper in the key with 10.1 seconds left provided the final margin in Boise State’s 85-84 victory over SMU in the opening round of the NIT on Thursday night at the Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas.
“I think that’s (Doutrive’s) third putback for a game-winner. That’s pretty impressive,” Boise State coach Leon Rice said in a postgame Zoom interview. “What a play that was, because then (SMU’s Tyson Jolly) fouled him hard, and he still found a way to make it.”
Boise State (19-8) advances to the NIT quarterfinals against either top-seeded Memphis (16-7) or No. 4 Dayton (14-9), who play at 10 a.m. Mountain time on Saturday (ESPN) at UNT Coliseum on the campus of North Texas in Denton, Texas. The quarterfinal matchup will be Thursday, March 25, but the tip-off time, game location and TV information have not yet been announced.
Although Doutrive missed his free-throw attempt after an SMU timeout, Armus didn’t let the win slip away, this time putting defensive pressure on the Mustangs’ Yor Anei under the basket that resulted in an SMU turnover.
“We nicknamed Mladen ‘The Beast’ because he’s so powerful down there,” Boise State’s Emmanuel Akot said. “He’s a force to be reckoned with.”
Armus paced five Broncos in double figures with 18 points, 10 rebounds and two assists. The 18 points are the most the 6-foot-10 Serb has scored in a Boise State uniform. His career high is 21 points, which he registered his sophomore year while still playing for East Tennessee State.
Akot contributed 17 points, a career-high nine assists and six rebounds and went 5-for-8 from 3-point range. Derrick Alston Jr. and Marcus Shaver Jr. added 13 points apiece, and Doutrive totaled 10 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals.
The Broncos combined for a season-high and postseason program record 14 made 3-pointers, including 10 in the first half. The previous record was 10 made triples against Oregon in 2011 in the CBI. Their 85 points are also the most in program history for a postseason game, not including Mountain West Tournament action.
“We’re upset we didn’t make the NCAA Tournament, but we know the NIT is something special,” Akot said. “We’re gonna make the most out of it.”
Boise State got out to a 14-0 lead and held the Mustangs (11-6) without a basket until there was 14:09 left in the first half. The Broncos extended their advantage to as much as 21 points, 30-9, with 11:04 on the clock in the first half courtesy of eight made triples. Shaver, Akot, and Doutrive knocked down two 3-pointers apiece, and Alston and Naje Smith made one each in the opening onslaught.
“The thing that was ringing in my ear, I remember one coach said to me … ‘Every day you’re on the road you get a little bit worse.’ I’m thinking to myself, ‘Man, if that’s the case, how bad are we going to be tonight?’ It was the opposite,” Rice said. “I was so proud of the way we shared the ball and moved it. We looked like a really good basketball team, especially at the start of the game. Holy cow.”
The Broncos finished with 21 assists — their second most in a game this season — on 30 made field goals. Their focus on team basketball helped make up for the absence of injured teammates Abu Kigab and Max Rice.
“It feels great. We got a win as a team collectively,” Doutrive said. “It’s the NIT, it’s another opportunity to just play basketball. We weren’t even sure if this season was gonna be possible, so we’re gonna enjoy every day.”
Women: Broncos lose leading scorer
Boise State junior Jade Loville announced Wednesday night on Instagram that she has entered the transfer portal.
Loville led the Broncos in scoring this past season — and ranked second in the Mountain West — at 17.1 points per game. She was voted to the All-Mountain West first team. The 5-foot-10 guard from Sammamish, Washington, shot 42.9% from the floor and 83.6% from the free-throw line.
“Boise State University has played a vital role in my growth both on and off the court,” Loville wrote on Instagram. “I appreciate each person that played any role in my life these last three years.
“With that being said, I’ve decided to enter the transfer portal with two years of eligibility left. It’s a blessing to continue this journey and I’m excited to see what God has planned.”
Despite playing three seasons at Boise State, Loville will have two years of eligibility remaining should she choose to use the extra year granted by the NCAA because of the coronavirus pandemic.
She set a program record with 40 points in the Broncos’ 85-59 victory over UNLV on Feb. 10. Loville broke the previous record of 39 points established by Miquelle Askew against San Jose State on Jan. 20, 2016. Loville’s 40 points also tied for the most in Mountain West history by a junior and tied for the sixth most overall in conference history.
Loville is one of just four players in Boise State basketball history — female or male — to score 40 points or more in a single game. Chandler Hutchison (2018), Ron Austin (twice in 1971) and Carl Powell (1979) each accomplished the feat for the men’s team.
BOISE ST. 85, SMU 84
SMU (11-6)
Chargois 2-6 0-0 4, Jasey 2-4 0-2 4, Bandoumel 5-8 3-5 16, Davis 9-16 2-3 23, Jolly 6-9 2-2 17, Douglas 3-6 2-2 9, Anei 2-3 1-1 5, C.Smith 1-3 2-2 4, Ray 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 31-56 12-17 84.
BOISE ST. (19-8)
Armus 6-8 6-8 18, Akot 6-13 0-0 17, Alston 5-11 1-1 13, Doutrive 4-10 0-1 10, Shaver 4-11 2-4 13, Dennis 2-3 0-1 5, N.Smith 1-1 2-3 5, Milner 2-2 0-1 4. Totals 30-59 11-19 85.
Halftime—Boise St. 48-42. 3-Point Goals—SMU 10-17 (Bandoumel 3-4, Davis 3-4, Jolly 3-4, Douglas 1-3, Chargois 0-1, C.Smith 0-1), Boise St. 14-29 (Akot 5-8, Shaver 3-5, Doutrive 2-6, Alston 2-7, N.Smith 1-1, Dennis 1-2). Rebounds—SMU 26 (Davis 7), Boise St. 30 (Armus 10). Assists—SMU 19 (Davis 12), Boise St. 21 (Akot 9). Total Fouls—SMU 20, Boise St. 18. A—836 (4,500).
This story was originally published March 18, 2021 at 9:24 PM.
