In ‘physical’ matchup, Boise State hands Utah State first Mountain West loss of season
On two occasions over the final 4 minutes, the Mountain West men’s basketball matchup between Boise State and Utah State had to be stopped to issue technical fouls.
Both came on brief altercations between opposing players, and both represented the growing frustration on the part of the Aggies.
The Aggies had good reason to be frustrated.
Boise State held the country’s top 3-point shooting team more than 10% below its average on the way to an 82-59 victory Saturday at ExtraMile Arena in front of an announced crowed of 12,007 — the ninth largest in program history.
“During the game, (Utah State’s) Rylan (Jones) came up to me and he’s like ‘It feels like we’re playing football out here,’” Boise State redshirt senior Max Rice said. “I’m like, ‘Yeah, that’s life in the Mountain West, isn’t it?’ So, I mean, out there it felt really physical.”
The Aggies (13-3, 2-1 MW) entered Saturday’s game as the best 3-point shooting team in the country by percentage, connecting at a rate of 43.36%. But Utah State went cold in the first half, resulting in a 15-point halftime deficit, 45-30. The Aggies made just 2-of-13 (15.4%) from beyond the arc in the first half and finished well below their average at 33.3%.
“I feel like those are the type of games why you play college basketball,” Rice said. “A sold-out arena against a Quad 1 team. Both teams were super competitive, although we were up 20 most of the game, it was a fun, competitive game the whole way, and we’re happy with the outcome.”
While the Aggies struggled to find their shot from beyond the arc, the Broncos (12-4, 2-1) shot a season-best 57.9%, knocking down 9-of-13 attempts.
Sophomore Tyson Degenhart netted a team-leading 19 points on 8-for-14 shooting. Degenhart also went a perfect 2-for-2 from 3-point range and added 10 rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Rice twice beat the shot clock on a pair of 3-pointers. The first came just before the halftime buzzer, and the second came with 36.2 seconds left to establish the final margin. Rice finished with 14 points, five rebounds and five assists, while Chibuzo Agbo added 11 points and Naje Smith and Marcus Shaver Jr. totaled 10 points apiece.
Agbo fouled out with 3:47 left and played just 16:31, and Shaver was also limited by foul trouble, opening the door for reserves Jace Whiting (8 points, 3 assists) and Kobe Young (6 points, 6 rebounds) to make significant contributions.
“I’ve been saying all along, the key to our season is our bench, because you’re gonna run into that adversity,” Boise State coach Leon Rice said. “If Kobe wasn’t ready to go, we’d have been cooked. If Jace hadn’t been getting better and better, we’d have been cooked.”
The Broncos continue Mountain West play against UNLV on Wednesday. Tipoff is 9 p.m. Mountain time at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network, or listen on the radio on KBOI 93.1 FM or 670 AM.
Women’s basketball: Broncos top Aggies
The Boise State women’s basketball team rallied from as much as a 10-point deficit to beat Utah State 73-56 on Saturday at Dee Glen Smith Spectrum in Logan, Utah.
Junior Mary Kay Naro notched a career-high 19 points on 5-for-8 shooting, including a 2-for-3 performance from 3-point range. She also knocked down 7-for-7 from the free-throw line and added eight rebounds, five assists, one blocked shot and one steal. Naro scored 15 of her 19 points in the second half.
“I had struggled from the field for a little bit, so it felt really good to see the ball go in,” Naro said in a news release. “I want to do whatever the team needs. We were struggling a bit on offense so I just wanted to be aggressive and my teammates found me. I’m really proud of the team win.”
Boise State junior guard Anna Ostlie contributed a season-best 12 points — all on 3s — and freshman Mya Hansen netted 10 points and a career-high six assists.
The Broncos (7-8, 2-0 MW) resume Mountain West play against Colorado State on Wednesday. Tipoff is 6:30 p.m. at ExtraMile Arena, and the game will be streamed live on the Mountain West Network, or listen on the radio on KBOI 670 AM.
BOISE ST. 82, UTAH ST. 59
Funk 5-8 0-0 14, Dorius 3-5 0-0 6, Bairstow 5-9 0-0 10, Jones 2-7 1-3 6, Shulga 3-9 2-4 9, Ashworth 1-8 1-2 4, Akin 2-5 1-4 5, Hamoda 0-5 0-0 0, Eytle-Rock 2-2 1-1 5. Totals 23-58 6-14 59.
Degenhart 8-14 1-2 19, N.Smith 4-7 2-4 10, Agbo 4-9 2-2 11, M.Rice 5-12 0-0 14, Shaver 2-7 4-5 10, Young 3-5 0-0 6, Whiting 3-4 0-0 8, Milner 2-4 0-0 4, Kuzmanovic 0-0 0-0 0, Winter 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 31-62 9-13 82.
Halftime—Boise St. 45-30.3-Point Goals—Utah St. 7-21 (Funk 4-5, Ashworth 1-4, Jones 1-4, Shulga 1-5, Bairstow 0-1, Hamoda 0-2), Boise St. 11-19 (M.Rice 4-6, Degenhart 2-2, Whiting 2-2, Shaver 2-4, Agbo 1-3, Young 0-2).Fouled Out—Agbo.Rebounds—Utah St. 28 (Shulga 6), Boise St. 40 (Degenhart 10).Assists—Utah St. 10 (Ashworth 4), Boise St. 18 (M.Rice, Shaver 5).Total Fouls—Utah St. 19, Boise St. 20.
This story was originally published January 7, 2023 at 6:41 PM.
