Boise State men’s basketball wins overtime thriller against Saint Mary’s in Idaho Falls
As Boise State fans were tuning out of a disappointing result in New York City from the Heisman Trophy ceremony Saturday night, the Broncos men’s basketball team was just starting to heat up.
Boise State men’s basketball (7-3) edged Saint Mary’s (9-2) in an overtime thriller late Saturday, defeating the Gaels 67-65 at a neutral venue in Idaho Falls.
In a complete reversal from last weekend’s 74-69 loss to Washington State, when the Broncos entered halftime down 44-24, this time the Broncos controlled the first half at the Mountain America Center.
A deep 3-pointer from junior forward Javan Buchanan with about 4 minutes left in the first half gave the Broncos their largest lead of the game at 30-17. Buchanan ended the game with 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting from the field.
The Broncos would end up needing that lead as the Gaels closed out the half on a 9-2 run to enter halftime down 32-26. A strong start to the second half for the Gaels allowed them to take the lead midway through the second half.
During a stretch of 8 minutes, 30 seconds in the second half, Boise State scored just six points.
The Broncos trailed by two points in the final minute of the game, but, as has become a theme in recent years, senior forward Tyson Degenhart stepped up.
Degenhart sank two clutch free throws with 11.5 seconds left to send the game to overtime tied at 59-59. He was then good for three free throws in overtime to help the Broncos to an eventual 67-65 win — after the Gaels missed a lay-up at the buzzer to tie the game.
Degenhart finished the night with a game-high 19 points and has managed double-digit scoring in all 10 games this season. Senior forward O’Mar Stanley also enjoyed a big night, recording 13 points and 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the season.
Boise State will have a quick turnaround, returning to the Treasure Valley to face Texas Southern at ExtraMile Arena at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
