Boise State dies by the 3, falls into Maui Invitational consolation bracket
Boise State basketball’s Maui Invitational adventure got off to the start it did not want Monday afternoon.
Playing in the prestigious holiday-week event for the first time, the Broncos (4-2) fell 70-67 to USC (5-0) in the Lahaina Civic Center in Hawaii in the first round. That means Boise State is now on the consolation side of the bracket, where it will next meet No. 23 N.C. State at 12:30 p.m. Mountain time Tuesday.
The Wolfpack fell 85-74 to Seton Hall on Monday for their first loss of the season.
“It was a battle,” Boise State head coach Leon Rice told KBOI radio after the game. “... We gave them too many second-chance opportunities, and we knew that that was a key. And they hit a couple of threes off of those.”
The battle really came down to those 3-pointers. The Trojans went 11-for-23 from behind the arc, while the Broncos kept firing from distance as well — but were a woeful 5-for-25.
Still, Boise State had the opportunity to force overtime at the buzzer, but a contested 3-pointer from senior forward Javan Buchanan bounced off the rim and became the final miss. That shot came after USC’s Jordan Marsh made a pair of free throws with 4.5 seconds left.
“I just wish he would have taken it one dribble earlier,” Rice said of the shot by Buchanan. “He didn’t need to get closer, he needed uncontested. But it was right on line when he released; I thought he got it.”
It perhaps was fitting that the game ended with that missed 3-point attempt in a game that saw the Broncos struggle again offensively. They have not cracked 70 points in the past three contests, and they are a combined 20-for-70 (28.5%) on 3-pointers in that time.
They shot just 41% (26-for-63) from the floor against the Trojans.
Buchanan was just 1-for-7 from 3-point range and Pearson Carmichael was 1-for-5. Starters Drew Fielder, Dylan Andrews and RJ Keene were a combined 0-for-6.
Buchanan scored a game-high 18 points but shot just 6-for-18 overall, and Carmichael had 14 points and seven rebounds. Freshman guard Aginaldo Neto scored 10 and made both of his 3-point attempts.
Boise State was a little better in the second half shooting from deep, after going 1-for-12 in the first half, which ended with the Broncos trailing just 34-32 after trailing by as many as nine.
Boise State scored 40 points in the paint, compared to just 16 for USC, and had success driving and drawing fouls, which kept the game tight the entire second half.
“It paid off, no doubt,” Rice said about driving inside. “I’ll have to look at the film, but it seemed like we got pretty good looks, too. I think there were some early jitters that we missed some of those (3-point shots); we were pretty excited to play.”
Now there’s a quick turnaround for the Broncos, who will have their hands full with N.C. State (4-1). The Wolfpack have scored at least 100 points in two of five games this season; their 74 in the loss to Seton Hall was their season low. Darrion Williams, a transfer from Texas Tech, is averaging 21 points per game to lead the ACC team but had just 12 against the Pirates.
“They’re physical, they play fast, they’re a good team. They have some really good scorers,” junior forward Andrew Meadow told KBOI.
“It’s gonna be a tough test for us. But I trust our group, and we’ll be able to respond.”
This story was originally published November 24, 2025 at 7:03 PM.
