‘Winner’ Max Rice sends Boise State into March with vital victory over No. 18 Aztecs
Leon Rice rarely blurs the line between father and coach, but perhaps sometime Wednesday he might analyze game film and marvel at his son.
Or at least press rewind a couple of times.
Coming off a tough shooting night in a loss at San Jose State, redshirt senior Max Rice scored 12 of Boise State’s final 14 points Tuesday as the Broncos scored a vital 66-60 win over No. 18 San Diego State, leading to fans storming the court at ExtraMile Arena.
The win kept the Broncos in the hunt for a share of the Mountain West’s regular-season title, but they’ll need some help. Boise State — unbeaten at home in league play but 4-4 on the road — can earn that share only with a win at Utah State on Saturday and a Wyoming upset of the Aztecs in San Diego.
Regardless of Saturday’s outcomes, the Broncos will at best be the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament because San Diego State has locked up the top spot.
More important than that, though, is that Tuesday’s Quad 1 victory likely secured an NCAA Tournament bid for Boise State for the second year in a row. It was the Broncos’ first victory over a Top 25 team since defeating then-No. 24 Oregon 74-72 on Dec 12, 2015.
“Honestly, it’s kind of a blur to me at this point,” Max Rice said. “Some of the plays just kind of like mesh together. Yeah, I banked one in I think at one point. My teammates just kept getting me the ball and I’m feeding off the energy.
“Shoot, I couldn’t dream of anything better than this. Sending out one of my best friends right here with a huge win that, in my opinion, secures us in the NCAA Tournament.”
On senior night for Naje Smith — the friend Rice referred to — and others, the Broncos (23-7, 13-4 MW) chased San Diego State (23-6, 14-3) for most of the game and were still down eight, 60-52, with 4:48 to play after a three-point play from the Aztecs’ Micah Parrish.
Max Rice was then fouled on a layup attempt, and he made the first but missed the second. It would turn out to be a miss that sparked the Broncos’ 14-0 run to end the game, as Smith grabbed the offensive board and kicked the ball out to Rice for a 3-pointer.
Counting the made free throw, Max Rice scored 12 consecutive points, including three 3-pointers — and yes, one of them banked in from an impossible angle in the corner — to put the Broncos ahead 64-60 with 2:22 to play.
While Max Rice went nuts, the defense locked in, holding the Aztecs without a basket over the final 4:47.
The crowd of 12,208 was so loud, the final buzzer couldn’t be heard over the noise.
“The best thing about him is he’s a winner,” Leon Rice said of his son, who was 9-of-16 from the field after going 4-of-18 at San Jose State on Saturday. “When things aren’t going good, he finds a way. ... He does whatever the team needs. He was not gonna let us lose. He just wasn’t, and somehow he got it done against a great defensive team.
“Sometimes I scratch my head and wonder how he gets it done, but he finds a way.”
Max Rice led all scorers with 26 points to go with three rebounds and one steal. Sophomore Tyson Degenhart added 14 points and three rebounds, and Smith had 10 points and six boards. Fellow senior Marcus Shaver Jr. scored nine points.
Boise State’s regular-season finale tips off at 7 p.m. Saturday at Dee Glen Smith Spectrum in Logan, Utah. The game will be streamed live on the Mountain West Network, or listen on the radio on KBOI 670 AM or 93.1 FM.
Women’s basketball: Broncos lose regular-season finale
The Boise State women’s basketball team fell 66-51 to Colorado State on Tuesday at Moby Arena in Fort Collins, Colorado, to close the regular season for both teams.
The Broncos (16-15, 11-7 MW) fell to the No. 6 seed in the Mountain West Tournament with the loss, which means they won’t get a bye. Boise State will face No. 11 Utah State in the first round at 8 p.m. Mountain time Sunday at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
Mary Kay Naro got off to a hot start for the Broncos against the Rams, hitting two of the team’s first three 3-pointers as Boise State took an 11-7 lead four minutes into the first quarter. But the Rams (19-10, 12-6 MW) responded with a 9-0 run to take control, and they were up 40-27 at halftime.
Anna Ostlie scored a team-high 13 points and Naro added 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting.
BOISE ST. 66, SAN DIEGO ST. 60
SDSU: K.Johnson 2-3 0-0 4, Mensah 1-3 0-0 2, Bradley 6-15 2-2 16, Butler 1-4 0-0 3, Trammell 2-9 2-3 7, Parrish 3-6 3-3 11, Arop 3-3 0-0 6, LeDee 3-7 2-3 8, Seiko 1-1 0-0 3. Totals 22-51 9-11 60.
BSU: Degenhart 6-9 1-2 14, N.Smith 3-5 2-2 10, Milner 1-2 0-0 2, M.Rice 9-16 3-4 26, Shaver 2-11 4-4 9, Agbo 2-6 1-2 5, Whiting 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 23-52 11-14 66.
Halftime—San Diego St. 30-27. 3-Point Goals—San Diego St. 7-19 (Parrish 2-3, Bradley 2-6, Butler 1-1, Seiko 1-1, Trammell 1-6, K.Johnson 0-1, Mensah 0-1), Boise St. 9-22 (M.Rice 5-8, N.Smith 2-2, Degenhart 1-3, Shaver 1-6, Agbo 0-3). Rebounds—San Diego St. 22 (Bradley 6), Boise St. 31 (Shaver 7). Assists—San Diego St. 8 (Mensah, Trammell 2), Boise St. 7 (Whiting 3). Total Fouls—San Diego St. 14, Boise St. 12. A—12,208 (12,480).
This story was originally published February 28, 2023 at 9:27 PM.
