Boise State’s Stanley has career night as Broncos have to rally in Mountain West opener
St. John’s transfer O’Mar Stanley’s career night kept Boise State alive early in its Mountain West opener Friday at San Jose State.
He got help from Tyson Degenhart in the second half to lift the Broncos past the Spartans 78-69.
It’s the Broncos’ first win in a conference opener on the road since a victory at Wyoming in 2019. Boise State improved to 9-4 all-time in Mountain West openers since joining the conference in 2011. Friday’s win also avenged a loss at Providence Credit Union Event Center in San Jose that snapped a four-game winning streak late last season.
Stanley, who joined the team this season, said after the game that he heard a lot about last year’s loss on the Spartans’ court. He also said the Broncos went into Friday’s game with the mindset that it wasn’t going to happen again. Boise State is now 39-4 in its all-time series against San Jose State.
“I remember Tyson (Degenhart) talking about how it kind of cost us the title last year,” Stanley told KBOI radio after the game. “We had a job to do and we did it.”
Stanley finished with a career-high 30 points and pulled down 11 rebounds, notching the second double-double of his Boise State career. It’s the first time a Boise State player has finished a game with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds since Abu Kigab did it in 2021. It’s just the 19th time a player has accomplished the feat in program history.
“My technique has been getting better and I’m getting more comfortable in my role,” Stanley said.
Stanley has been on a tear since he broke into the starting lineup in a 63-61 win over St. Mary’s on Dec. 1. He has averaged 14.7 points a night in the Broncos’ past eight games, and he has scored at least 20 points in three straight games. He put up 20 in a lopsided win over Utah Valley and 23 in a loss to Washington State.
“Our guys are figuring out how to get him better shots,” Boise State coach Leon Rice said on the radio after the game. “That’s good because it shows an unselfishness, and I thought our unselfishness down the stretch won us this game.”
Stanley, who went 8-of-10 on free throws, hit some big ones late in the second half to clinch the win, including two that put the Broncos ahead for good with 3:57 left in regulation. He also kept Boise State within striking distance with 15 points and a late run in the first half.
Boise State trailed by as many as nine points in the first half, but Stanley reeled off 13 straight points in the closing minutes of the half to send Broncos into halftime trailing 40-33.
Degenhart was held to four points in the first half, but he came to life after that. He scored 17 of his season-high 21 points and hit two key 3-pointers in the second half. The two-time All-Mountain West pick knocked down one to cut San Jose State’s lead to 59-57 with a little more than 7 minutes to play. His second cut the Spartan’s lead to 65-64 with 4:45 left in regulation.
“I’m really proud of our response in the second half,” Rice said. “You expect nothing less, coming on the road, as far as how hard it is to win.”
Boise State had no answer for San Jose State’s leading scorer, Myron Amey Jr., in the first half. He put up 25 points, five rebounds, three steals and one assist before halftime. He finished the game with 30 points and four assists after the Broncos clamped down in the second half.
Amey was 5-of-7 from 3-point range in the first half and finished the game 5-of-10. As a team, San Jose State shot 6-of-14 from beyond the arc before halftime but just 1-of-13 in the second half.
Stanley said it took a team effort to slow the Spartans down.
“Somebody had to step in front of (Amey) and guard him, and we also had to have each other’s backs,” he said. “If he scores, we can’t be blaming each other. We just have to get back on defense.”
The Broncos will face another talented guard on Tuesday when Isaiah Stevens leads No. 13 Colorado State into ExtraMile Arena (7 p.m., Mountain West Network). Stevens paces the Rams (13-1, 1-0 Mountain West) with 17.4 points and 7.4 assists a game.
“They’re a hell of a team,” Stanley said. “It’s going to be a great opportunity for us, and we’re all looking forward to it.”
Boise State’s Chibuzo Agbo went 3-of-6 from 3-point range and finished with 15 points Friday night, scoring in double figures for the eighth straight game. Max Rice went 3-of-7 from 3-point range and finished with 12 points.
The Broncos pulled down almost twice as many rebounds as the Spartans, dominating the glass 43-23. Boise State tallied 25 rebounds after halftime, 19 of which were on the defensive end.
Boise State didn’t get any help from its bench, though. The Broncos’ reserves didn’t score a single point Friday night. Sophomore point guard Jace Whiting was held scoreless in 15 minutes of play. Freshman Andrew Meadow didn’t score a point in 14 minutes, and Kansas transfer Cam Martin put up a goose egg in 12 minutes.
This story was originally published January 6, 2024 at 12:06 AM.
