Degenhart scores 24 but Boise State’s offense dries up in overtime loss to Utah State
Boise State has won nine games by single digits this season, but the Broncos found themselves in a hole too deep to dig out of in overtime Saturday against No. 18 Utah State.
The Broncos didn’t score a point in the first 3:30 of the five-minute extra period and Utah State went on to claim sole possession of first place in the Mountain West with a 90-84 victory.
Boise State missed its first six shots in OT and finished the period 2-for-10. Utah State hit only two field goals in overtime, but the Aggies hit 10 of 11 free throws in the extra frame.
“We just really didn’t get into a rhythm,” Boise State’s Tyson Degenhart said after the game. “We had good offensive sets and ideas of what we were going to call, and we just didn’t execute.”
Utah State’s Ian Martinez forced overtime after he got a layup to fall with one second left in regulation, and the Aggies (18-2, 6-1 Mountain West) opened the extra frame with six unanswered points. Martinez went 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the final seconds to seal the win.
It was the Broncos’ third straight loss to Utah State, dating back to an 86-73 setback last March in Logan, Utah. The Aggies also knocked Boise State out of the Mountain West Tournament last season. Saturday’s game in Boise featured eight lead changes and was tied 10 times.
“It was that kind of game,” Boise State coach Leon Rice said. “One play here and there changed the whole direction of the game.”
Degenhart was limited to just three points with a little more than 12 minutes to play, but he reeled off a quick nine points during a five-minute stretch in the second half. He finished the game with a team-high 24 points, which tied his season high. He also gave the Broncos a chance to win.
Boise State (14-6, 5-2 MW) led 39-37 at halftime, but Utah State went on an 11-1 run that gave the Aggies a lead and sapped the energy out of the crowd in the second half. That is until Degenhart injected some energy back into the arena.
The two-time All-Mountain West pick brought a crowd of 12,058 fans in ExtraMile Arena to life with a two-handed dunk that cut Utah State’s lead to one with a little more than 10 minutes left. The Broncos’ faithful roared their approval again when he hit a three that put Boise State up 56-54.
The fans dressed in blue and orange were in a frenzy when he gave the Broncos a one-point lead after getting a layup to drop and drawing a foul with 1:19 left in regulation. Degenhart padded the late lead with two more free throws after Utah State coach Danny Sprinkle was called for a technical foul with his team trailing by just one with 1:05 left.
“He struggled with a few things and then he corrected it and got going,” Rice said of Degenhart, who played much of the second half and the whole overtime period with four fouls. “That takes mental toughness. Tyson wants to do everything perfect for the team, and I’m really proud of how he reset himself.”
Utah State’s Josh Uduje hit a jumper to cut the Broncos’ lead to one with 10 seconds left in regulation. Boise State’s O’Mar Stanley had a chance to make it a three-point game at the free throw line, but he missed the second shot, setting up Martinez’s layup that forced overtime.
Free throws were a little issue for the Broncos on Saturday. They went 23-for-31 at the line, while the Aggies finished the game 26-for-31.
“That’s really tough, and I’m really hard on myself about little things like that,” Stanley said. “But that’s the game of basketball. Sometimes the game takes and sometimes the game gives.”
Stanley finished with 20 points and nine rebounds, just missing his fourth double-double of the season. He fouled out in the opening seconds of overtime. Chibuzo Agbo finished with 15 points for the Broncos, and Max Rice chipped in with 14.
Utah State point guard Darius Brown II led the Aggies with 19 points and added five assists. Uduje and Martinez both finished with 18. Great Osobor, the Mountain West’s second-leading scorer, added 14 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Isaac Johnson also finished with a double-double, posting 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Boise State is back in action on the road at No. 25 New Mexico (17-3, 5-2) on Wednesday (8:30 p.m., FS1).
Note: The 12,058 fans who packed ExtraMile Arena on Saturday tied the largest crowd at a Boise State home game this season. The Broncos’ win over Colorado State also drew 12,058 on Jan. 9.
This story was originally published January 27, 2024 at 6:03 PM.
