Boise State men’s basketball overcomes poor shooting night for win at Saint Louis
Facing the top assisting point guard in the country, the Boise State men’s basketball team needed a strategy.
The Broncos cooked up the perfect plan, limiting Saint Louis junior Yuri Collins to a season-low four assists in a 57-52 victory Saturday night at Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, Missouri. Boise State has now held six opponents to under 60 points this season.
“We maybe didn’t shoot the ball great, but we did everything we needed to do defensively and on the glass,” Boise State coach Leon Rice told KBOI 670 AM in a postgame radio interview.
“I told these guys, you don’t have to beat them on the boards by five or 10, you just have to beat them by one. If you can compete with them on the glass, you have a chance to win, and that’s what we did.”
The Broncos (8-2) — who have now won seven in a row — shot a season-low 30.5% from the floor, but their defense was strong enough to see them through. Boise State held Saint Louis (7-4) to 31% shooting, including just 24.2% in the second half. The Broncos also won the rebound battle, 43-42.
Collins, who entered Saturday’s game averaging a nation-leading 11.1 assists per game, had to face a trio of Boise State defenders. Marcus Shaver Jr. was the first, then Jace Whiting and finally Naje Smith.
“We wanted to throw different looks at him,” Rice said. “... We didn’t come off those other guys when (Collins) drove. We were gonna make him finish.”
While Collins tallied a team-leading 17 points, he was just 5-for-16 from the floor (31.2%) and committed eight turnovers.
“I think we just get up and guard guys,” Boise State junior Chibuzo Agbo said. “We’re there for each other in the gaps. We switch well.”
Boise State and Saint Louis started the game a combined 0-for-13 from the floor. The Broncos were the first to break through, scoring on a Smith 3-pointer off an assist from Marcus Shaver Jr. After shooting just 29% in the half, the Broncos only trailed the Billikens 26-23 at halftime.
In a game that featured eight lead changes and three ties, the Broncos took the lead for good using a 10-0 run in the second half that turned a 35-32 deficit into a 42-35 lead.
The Billikens fought back to tie the game at 52-all with 58.3 seconds remaining, but the Broncos got defensive stops the rest of the way and closed it out at the free-throw line by going 5-for-8, including a perfect 4-for-4 performance from Max Rice.
Agbo led all scorers with 18 points and added six rebounds and two steals. Rice chipped in 14 points and three steals, and Shaver and Tyson Degenhart netted eight points and six boards apiece.
The Broncos return home to host New Orleans of the Southland Conference. Tipoff is 7 p.m. Tuesday at ExtraMile Arena, and the game will be streamed live on the Mountain West Network. A radio broadcast is available on KBOI 670 AM.
BOISE ST. 57, SAINT LOUIS 52
Degenhart 4-12 0-0 8, N.Smith 1-6 0-0 3, Agbo 6-13 3-3 18, M.Rice 3-9 6-6 14, Shaver 2-9 3-8 8, Whiting 1-2 0-0 2, Sylla 1-4 2-2 4, Milner 0-2 0-0 0, NgaNga 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 18-59 14-19 57.
Okoro 1-3 1-3 3, Collins 5-16 6-8 17, Jimerson 2-11 0-0 4, Pickett 2-6 2-2 6, Perkins 0-4 0-0 0, Thatch 3-6 1-1 8, Hargrove 2-4 0-0 5, Forrester 2-5 2-2 6, Parker 1-3 0-0 3. Totals 18-58 12-16 52.
Halftime—Saint Louis 26-23.3-Point Goals—Boise St. 7-23 (Agbo 3-5, M.Rice 2-6, N.Smith 1-4, Shaver 1-5, Degenhart 0-3), Saint Louis 4-18 (Hargrove 1-2, Collins 1-3, Parker 1-3, Thatch 1-3, Perkins 0-2, Jimerson 0-5).Rebounds—Boise St. 37 (N.Smith 7), Saint Louis 41 (Okoro 12).Assists—Boise St. 11 (Shaver 4), Saint Louis 9 (Collins 4).Total Fouls—Boise St. 17, Saint Louis 19.
This story was originally published December 10, 2022 at 8:04 PM.
