Boise State rallies from first-round loss in Charleston Classic with blowout of Temple
To get an idea of the kind of game Boise State was having, take a look at Naje Smith’s shot just before halftime.
With two defenders chasing him and time running out, Smith connected on a long-distance 3-pointer at the buzzer for a 15-point lead against Temple.
And things only got better for the Broncos from there, as they rolled to an 82-62 victory over the Owls (1-3) in a consolation game Friday at the Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic at TD Arena in Charleston, South Carolina. It was a second straight blowout for Temple, which lost 75-48 to Clemson in the first round.
Boise State (2-2) advances to Sunday’s fifth-place game in the Charleston Classic against Ole Miss (3-1), a 74-56 winner over Elon. Sunday’s game starts at 11 a.m. on ESPN2.
A day after a disappointing loss to 22nd-ranked St. Bonaventure, the Broncos made 12 3-pointers and shot 53.3% from the floor.
“I think I said this from day one, these guys are good shooters when they get the right shots,” Boise State coach Leon Rice said. “Making shots is so much about shot selection. The game rewards you for good offense and good shot selection, and that’s what we had today.”
Redshirt senior Emmanuel Akot led the Broncos in scoring for the second straight game, collecting 16 points a day after a career-high 24 points against the Bonnies. Akot knocked down 4-of-6 attempts from deep and dished out six assists.
“That’s what E-man does. He does that in practice,” Boise State senior Abu Kigab said. “It’s hitting in the game, and people are finally recognizing it. I’m really happy for him, and he’s just gonna continue to do that for us. He’s worked his butt off, and he deserves this.”
Six different Broncos connected from 3-point range against the Owls, and Boise State registered an assist on 25 of its 32 field goals. Kigab contributed 13 points, six assists, five rebounds and three steals, Mladen Armus had 11 points, four rebounds and three assists, and Marcus Shaver Jr. totaled 10 points to round out the double-digit scoring for the Broncos.
Boise State led by as many as 34 points, 73-39, with 8:36 to go, allowing Rice to empty his bench in the closing minutes. Twelve Broncos saw playing time as Boise State’s bench added 26 of the Broncos’ 82 points.
“Everybody in this program has a role, and those roles are really, really important,” Rice said. “Some of those guys that haven’t got the opportunity yet ... they got a chance today, which was great. The thing I like best about it is how much the guys that were out of the game appreciate that and acknowledge that, because they know all the hard work ... those guys put in.”
Smith was the Broncos’ top contributor off the bench, totaling nine points and an assist in 11 minutes. Sophomore Pavle Kuzmanovic added eight points, including a 2-for-3 performance from beyond the arc. Kuzmanovic’s eight points were one shy of his career best, set against Utah Valley in the Broncos’ season opener.
But one of the loudest cheers of the day from the Boise State bench was for one of its least-known players. Walk-on Sam Winter brought his teammates to their feet with a jump shot in the final minute, but he just missed.
“It came natural when the ball was moving so well. I think that was the best our offense has clicked over the course of a game. I think that’s pretty obvious,” Rice said. “That’s a big step for us. That’s what we needed, and those are the kind of things you have to accomplish in November. For us to be a good team, that’s what we’re gonna have to do.”
BOISE ST. 82, TEMPLE 62
BOISE ST. (2-2): Armus 5-8 1-5 11, Kigab 5-8 1-2 13, Akot 6-10 0-0 16, Doutrive 2-6 1-2 6, Shaver 4-8 0-0 10, Kuzmanovic 3-5 0-0 8, Milner 2-3 0-1 4, N.Smith 3-3 2-2 9, Rice 1-2 1-2 3, Degenhart 0-3 0-0 0, Pryor 1-3 0-0 2, Winter 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 32-60 6-14 82.
TEMPLE (1-3): Forrester 1-2 2-2 4, Tolbert 3-5 1-1 8, Battle 5-7 6-6 19, Dunn 2-8 2-2 6, Williams 2-6 0-1 4, White 3-3 0-4 6, Jourdain 0-4 0-0 0, Hicks 0-5 0-0 0, Strickland 1-2 1-2 4, Ademokoya 1-3 0-0 2, Okpomo 1-2 0-0 2, Miller 1-1 4-4 7. Totals 20-48 16-22 62.
Halftime—Boise St. 43-28. 3-Point Goals—Boise St. 12-23 (Akot 4-6, Kuzmanovic 2-3, Shaver 2-3, Kigab 2-4, N.Smith 1-1, Doutrive 1-3, Degenhart 0-1, Pryor 0-1, Rice 0-1), Temple 6-18 (Battle 3-4, Miller 1-1, Strickland 1-2, Tolbert 1-2, Ademokoya 0-1, Dunn 0-1, Williams 0-1, Jourdain 0-2, Hicks 0-4). Rebounds—Boise St. 27 (Doutrive 6), Temple 29 (Tolbert 7). Assists—Boise St. 25 (Kigab, Akot 6), Temple 9 (Williams, White 2). Total Fouls—Boise St. 20, Temple 17.
This story was originally published November 19, 2021 at 12:20 PM.
