Boise State basketball finally clicks, rebounds in multiple ways to blowout UNLV at home
Boise State men’s basketball rebounded in more ways than one on Tuesday night with a big win over UNLV, which was previously undefeated in conference play.
The Broncos (12-4, 4-1 Mountain West) made light work of the Rebels (9-6, 3-1) at ExtraMile Arena, running out 81-59 winners after a dominating first half that saw Boise State enter halftime leading 43-24.
The victory comes just three days after Boise State lost its first home game of the season, 76-68, to San Diego State.
“That film session on Sunday was not fun,” senior forward Tyson Degenhart said. “I think that’s why we played so well. We had those two great days where we were dialed in with practice. We had a good shoot around, and the vibes were just really, really good.”
The victory wasn’t the only rebounding done by the Broncos. In all four of Boise State’s losses this season, the Broncos failed to win the rebound battle; in all 12 victories, they won the boards battle.
That was the case on Tuesday night, as Boise State outrebounded UNLV 38-21.
“We had to come in there and set the tone, both offensively and defensively, and we were doing a great job of that,” Degenhart said. “We controlled the glass, which is what we wanted to do, and we’re hoping to continue that throughout the year.”
Boise State has yet to lose two games in a row this season, and it became pretty clear early on in Tuesday’s game that the streak would continue.
A layup from Degenhart 12 minutes into the first half gave the Broncos an 11-point lead. It capped off a 10-0 run by the Broncos, which saw five different players score five baskets.
Sharing the ball was the motto of the night for the Broncos. Four players scored at least 12 points, while senior guard Alvaro Cardenas enjoyed another typical night for him, dishing out nine assists. Cardenas also had 13 points.
Degenhart finished the night as the Broncos’ lead scoring, dropping 21 points on 8-for-11 shooting. He also had 11 rebounds to score his third double-double of the season.
UNLV brought the score to within 7 points shortly after that 10-0 run, but it’s the closest UNLV would get. Boise State stretched the lead to 19 points by halftime, thanks to a late 7-0 run, and ran away with the game in the second half.
“I thought we played 37 really, really powerful minutes,” Boise State head coach Leon Rice said. The Rebels went on a several-minute 8-0 run midway through the second half, forcing Rice to call a timeout.
“I was really proud of our guys’ response,” Rice said. “That’s the mark of a champion: the way you respond to some adversity.”
The blowout victory also allowed senior forward O’Mar Stanley to rebound from a tough stretch. Across his last three games before Tuesday night, the typically explosive Stanley averaged just 15.6 minutes and 5.6 points per game.
Rice said earlier this week that Stanley was dealing with “personal issues” and that it could explain his dip in form. However, Stanley was back to his best against UNLV, scoring 12 points and grabbing four rebounds off the bench.
A moment in the first half saw Stanley leap out of bounds for the ball before launching it back onto the court before landing. The loose ball was caught by Cardenas, who drew the foul and elicited huge celebrations between the two players.
A Stanley jumper in the second half to extend Boise State’s 59-32 forced a UNLV timeout. As the rest of the Broncos headed to the bench, Stanley continued to pump up the crowd.
“He looked like he was having fun out there; that’s the most important part,” Rice said. “You’re talking about an all-league guy coming off the bench. Other teams are like, ‘Oh, man, they’re playing good.’ Now, here comes another really good player. That’s what we want, and that’s what we have.”
The Broncos have another big challenge on Saturday. They travel to No. 25 Utah State, which has started the season 15-1 and 5-0 in Mountain West play.
This story was originally published January 7, 2025 at 11:30 PM.
