Boise State can’t snap a historic streak but gets hot from the free-throw line to beat UNLV
Boise State basketball broke its three-game road losing streak on Tuesday night, beating UNLV 71-62 behind a strong night from the free-throw line.
The Broncos (16-7, 8-4 Mountain West) went 24-for-32 from the charity stripe at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, making 13 more free throws than the Rebels (11-12, 5-7), which ultimately proved the difference.
UNLV shot just 11-for-17 from the free-throw line despite being in the bonus for the game’s final seven minutes.
“We have a lot of guys who can really put pressure on the rim,” junior forward Javan Buchanan told KBOI after the game. “So that’s one of our goals as a team every game, just to beat the other team to the bonus.”
Buchanan scored 13 points, including a 5-for-7 night from the free-throw line. He was one of four Broncos in double-digit scoring, along with senior guard Alvaro Cardenas (13), sophomore guard Andrew Meadow (14) and senior forward Tyson Degenhart (16).
Neither team enjoyed a great shooting night from open play. Boise State shot 20-for-49 from the floor, but many of those shots came from beyond the arc — the Broncos went 7-for-25 from 3-point land.
Fortunately for Boise State, UNLV’s shooting was even worse. The Rebels shot 25-for-66, including an ugly 1-for-16 from three.
Since the 3-point line was introduced in college basketball in 1986, just two teams have hit a 3-pointer in every game: UNLV and Princeton. Boise State head coach Leon Rice made it a goal for his team to end that streak, and while the Broncos failed at that task, it’s the first time UNLV has been held to just one long-range bucket since going 1-for-8 against Fresno State a year ago.
“They’re out there to make threes, and if you take that away from them, they become uncomfortable and have to do something that they really don’t (do),” Rice said. “A good defensive player makes somebody beat you in a way they don’t usually like to beat you at.”
The Broncos also enjoyed a couple of long scoring runs on either side of halftime to put the Rebels out of sight.
After a testy first half that stood at 25-24 in favor of the Rebels, the Broncos went on an 8-0 run late in the first half to take an eventual 33-29 lead into the break. Another 7-0 run from the Broncos out of halftime extended the lead to 40-29 — the closest the Rebels would get to Boise State for the rest of the game was four points.
“It seemed like we just got stop after stop after stop,” Rice said. “We made them take some really tough shots, and we battled for rebounds.”
Buchanan played a significant role in Boise State staying ahead, scoring nine of his 13 points in the final 20 minutes.
Redshirt junior guard RJ Keene also continued to produce his typically underrated performances. He was the only player to pull in double-digit rebounds (10) while taking just one shot. That shot — which missed — came at the end of the shot clock when a Bronco turnover was imminent.
“He was flying in there, getting (rebounds), and he was tough,” Rice said. “I thought he did a great job guarding the three-point line.”
Boise State will return home to face San Jose State (12-12, 5-7) on Friday at ExtraMile Arena. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
This story was originally published February 5, 2025 at 12:33 AM.
