One of worst losses in program history? Boise State hoops starts with a thud
Boise State was supposed to have your typical season opener Monday night: Invite a Division II opponent into your home arena, take a handy lead into halftime, and give the backups some minutes in the second half.
The team fulfilling the role of the supposed punching bag at ExtraMile Arena was the Hawaii Pacific Sharks, of the Pacific West Conference.
The team that wound up bruised and knocked out was the Broncos.
Hawaii Pacific set the pace for most of the game, leading for over 27 minutes en route to a shocking 79-78 victory over Boise State (0-1). The result was one of the worst losses in Boise State program history, and certainly the worst loss in Leon Rice’s 16-year tenure as head coach.
“We didn’t set the tone,” Rice said. “... We let them get comfortable, we let them make threes and let them do what they wanted to do.”
Hawaii Pacific shot 9-for-26 (34.6%) from 3-point range and 30-for-61 (49.2%) from the field, outdoing the Broncos’ efforts of 10-for-33 (30.3%) from beyond the arc and 28-for-67 (41.8%).
The Sharks opened the scoring within the first minute and held the lead for the opening 12 minutes before Boise State finally went ahead 25-24. That lead lasted for about 20 seconds, and Hawaii Pacific was up 38-37 at halftime.
Things didn’t improve much in the second half. Junior forward Drew Fielder, a transfer from Georgetown playing in his first game for the Broncos, missed a 3-point attempt 12 seconds into the half. Hawaii Pacific quickly went down the court for a layup and seized the momentum after the break.
Hawaii Pacific held a steady lead for the next 11 minutes before Boise State got a 3-pointer from freshman forward Spencer Ahrens to go ahead. Once again, the Sharks responded, building a seven-point lead with three minutes remaining.
“We’ve just got to be more hungry. That’s really just it. We’ve just got to want it,” senior guard Dylan Andrews said. “I feel like we just (under)estimated the team, and they wanted it more than us.”
Andrews, who transferred from UCLA in the offseason, had the chance to become an immediate fan favorite when he held possession of the ball with 20 seconds left and the Broncos down by a point.
Rather than attacking the basket, Andrews lingered beyond the 3-point line before sending off a shot with less than 5 seconds left. It bounced off the rim, and Ahren’s desperate putback attempt at the buzzer fell short.
“I feel like we got the shot that we wanted to. It just didn’t fall for us,” Andrews said. “But even then, we shouldn’t have gotten to the point where it’s a one-possession game.”
Rice said that he didn’t want Andrews to hold on to the ball for so long and that he should have attacked the rim straight away.
Despite Ahrens’ miss at the end, he had a good debut, putting up 14 points and seven rebounds, including a 4-for-7 night from beyond the arc.
“He’s a really good freshman,” Rice said. “You can’t ask for anything more from him, he did his part.”
Andrews led the team with 15 points and nine assists, but he only shot 6-for-14 from the floor and had five turnovers. The Broncos turned the ball over 12 times, 10 of which were steals, leading to an impressive 23 points off turnovers for the Sharks.
Fielder had 13 points and seven rebounds, but his first field goal of the game didn’t come until a minute into the second half.
The only other Bronco to score in double digits was junior forward Andrew Meadow, who finished with 10 points and eight rebounds.
“We’ve just got to play harder and play more connected,” Fielder said. “I think we took this opportunity a little bit for granted this time.”
This story was originally published November 3, 2025 at 11:18 PM with the headline "One of worst losses in program history? Boise State hoops starts with a thud."
