Boise State hoops scores by committee to beat conference-leading Utah State by double digits
After weeks filled with moments of individual brilliance from members of the Boise State basketball team, the Broncos finally put it all together on Wednesday night in a season-defining 82-65 win over Utah State at ExtraMile Arena.
While multiple Broncos have enjoyed career highs in recent weeks, dragging Boise State (20-8, 12-5 Mountain West) back into NCAA Tournament contention, that wasn’t the case against the Aggies (24-5, 14-4).
Those with hot hands kept their scoring touch, but instead of individual brilliance, the collective effort saw the Broncos over the line for their seventh win in eight games. Five players scored at least nine points, led by a team-high 21 from senior forward Tyson Degenhart.
“It was great, and it’s not easy against their zone,” senior guard Alvaro Cardenas said. “(Utah State) were switching defense over and over again, but I think we just did a really good job of being patient.”
Cardenas scored 16 points, joining sophomore forward Andrew Meadow (17) and senior forward O’Mar Stanley (10) in double-digit scoring. Freshman guard Pearson Carmichael fell just short with nine points.
Bronco fans are accustomed to seeing Degenhart at the top of the scoring charts. So it was telling that he didn’t score his first points until 16 minutes into the game, yet the Broncos were still ahead 29-27 following his first basket.
Utah State’s zone defense makes it difficult for Mountain West teams to play inside the paint, forcing them around the perimeter. The Broncos found that out the hard way last month, hitting 14 3-pointers at Utah State yet still losing 81-79.
So, things looked good for the Broncos when they hit their first four 3-point attempts. And even though Boise State ended the half shooting 1-for-9 from beyond the arc the rest of the way, Stanley and sophomore forward Emmanuel Ugbo controlled the paint, combining for 10 first-half points. Stanley also had four total rebounds.
“They’re big bodies, and they’re great rim protectors,” Boise State head coach Leon Rice said.
The pair’s efforts gave Boise State the platform to hang in with the Aggies when the shots dried up late in the first half.
A 3-pointer from Utah State guard Mason Falslev with six minutes left in the half gave the Aggies a 27-26 lead, their first lead since the third minute. That was when Degenhart finally scored his first points of the game: a 3-pointer from the corner in front of the Utah State bench.
“It was just kind of one of those games,” Degenhart said. “A couple of those floaters didn’t go in, but that’s kind of the way basketball goes. There are ebbs and there are flows.
“It took a little bit of the coaches, especially Lex (Williams), telling me, ‘Hey, shoot your shots with conviction, and make sure that you shoot them to make them,’” Degenhart continued. “And so that really stuck with me.”
The Broncos’ senior leader scored 18 points in the second half and inched closer to the program’s all-time scoring record. Degenhart now has 1,873 points, putting him 71 away from tying Tanoka Beard’s program record of 1,944.
The Aggies pulled to within 3 points within the first two minutes of the half before the Broncos pulled away.
Along with Boise State shooting 27-for-56 (48.2%) from the field, the defense held Utah State to a 22-for-52 (42.3%) night. Utah State’s tough night on offense starkly contrasted to last month’s game in Logan, Utah, when the Aggies shot 61.2% from the field, including 80% in the second half.
“I went back and looked at the time we played (Utah State) before,” Rice said. “We’ve got a lot better defensively; we’re more connected. We know our assignments better and we’re harder to get to the rim.”
The victory was a necessary step as Boise State fights to make its fourth straight NCAA Tournament next month. The Broncos entered Wednesday on the bubble and remain there, but a loss would have knocked them down. Any loss in the final three regular season games would be pretty devastating.
With Utah State out of the way, Boise State now travels back-to-back to Fresno State and Air Force, the two worst teams in the league, with a combined record of 2-31 in conference play. The Broncos will then return to ExtraMile Arena on Friday, March 7, for the regular-season finale and Senior Night against Colorado State (19-9, 13-4).
The first of those three games, against Fresno State, will tip off on Saturday at 5 p.m. at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California.
The Broncos also are technically still alive for the regular season title in the Mountain West, as the conference standings have tightened. The top five teams get byes in the league tourney, and those five teams are locked in, but in what order will be sorted out over the next week and a half.
Boise State split its games with New Mexico and Utah State, and still has the game against Colorado State after losing in Fort Collins. The Broncos were swept this season by San Diego State, another NCAA Tournament bubble team.
Top of Mountain West standings
- New Mexico: 14-3 (Remaining: Air Force, at Nevada, UNLV)
- Utah State: 14-4 (at Colorado State, Air Force)
- Colorado State: 13-4 (Utah State, San Jose State, at Boise State)
- San Diego State: 12-5 (at Wyoming, at UNLV, Nevada)
- Boise State: 12-5 (at Fresno State, at Air Force, Colorado State)
This story was originally published February 27, 2025 at 12:22 AM.
