Boise State’s shooting woes continue as Utah State claims conference’s top spot again
Redshirt freshman Mason Falslev scored a career-high 25 points Saturday to lead No. 22 Utah State past Boise State, 80-61, and hand the Broncos their second double-digit loss in as many games.
Boise State, which lost 75-62 at Colorado State on Tuesday, trailed by as many as 20 points in the second half at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. The Aggies, who beat the Broncos in overtime on Jan. 27, swept the season series, and they’re once again in sole possession of first place in the Mountain West.
The shooting drought that plagued Boise State against Colorado State stretched into Saturday’s game in Logan, Utah. The Broncos went 11-for-28 from the floor in the first half against the Rams and finished the game shooting 41%. On Saturday, they went into the locker room shooting 29% (10-for-34) and finished the game shooting 36% (21-for-59) from the floor. Their season low is 32% in a loss to Butler in November.
“You’ve got to play an A-plus game every night in this league,” Boise State coach Leon Rice told KBOI radio after the game. “We didn’t (tonight). They did.”
Boise State (16-8, 7-4 Mountain West) found itself down big early thanks to a scoring drought that stretched to almost five minutes. The Aggies (20-4, 8-3 MW), on the other hand, went on a 13-0 run and led by as many as 13 points before going into halftime with a 41-30 lead.
Great Osobor, the conference’s leading rebounder and second-leading scorer, posted a double-double, finishing with 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Aggies. Isaac Johnson added 14 points, and he was one of three Utah State players who hit at least two 3-pointers in the game. The Aggies shot 52% (29-for-56) from the floor.
“They were shooting the ball well,” Rice said. “When they shoot the ball well, it’s tough to guard them because they’ve got an inside and outside game.”
Tyson Degenhart led the Broncos with 17 points and eight rebounds, and Max Rice chipped in with 12 points, all of which came from 3-point range. O’Mar Stanley added 11 points before fouling out late in the second half.
Big picture: The Broncos had a chance to claim the inside track for the No. 1 seed in the Mountain West Tournament and build on their NCAA Tournament resume in a couple of Quad 1 games this past week. Instead, they suffered two bad losses against conference rivals. The Rams were in control of most of Tuesday’s game in Fort Collins, Colorado. The Aggies dictated the pace of Saturday’s game and led by more than 10 points for most of the second half.
Utah State is in firm control of first place in the conference, but the good news for the Broncos is they weren’t the only Mountain West contender that suffered a loss Saturday. UNLV knocked off No. 25 New Mexico 80-77 and Nevada beat San Diego State 70-66 in overtime. That leaves the Broncos, Lobos (19-5, 7-4) and Aztecs (18-6, 7-4) in a tie for second place, but Boise State owns head-to-head wins over both teams.
The Broncos are still very much in the mix for a high seed in the conference tournament and a third straight NCAA Tournament bid, but they need their most consistent scorer to start lighting the scoreboard again. Chibuzo Agbo scored at least 10 points in 16 straight games, but he was limited to seven against Colorado State and five on Saturday.
Player of the game: Falslev carried the load on the offensive end for the Aggies, but point guard Darius Brown II did a little bit of everything in Utah State’s win. He finished with 18 points, nine rebounds and five assists. He led the Aggies with 19 points and added five assists in their win at Boise State in January.
Stat of the game: Utah State’s defense shut down the Broncos, but the Aggies also shared the ball much better than the visitors. They finished with 20 assists, compared to nine for the Broncos.
Next: The Broncos have a few days off before they’re back home at ExtraMile Arena on Feb. 17 against Fresno State (5:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network).
This story was originally published February 10, 2024 at 10:27 PM.
