Bench shows out as Boise State basketball gets ‘much deserved’ blowout win
Boise State’s game Saturday afternoon didn’t feel so much feel like one that it had to win as much as one it couldn’t afford to lose.
Entering Saturday afternoon on a two-game win streak after starting Mountain West play 1-5, the Broncos hosted a flailing Air Force team at ExtraMile Arena that arrived winless in 12 games. A poor performance or, even worse, a loss would have been a kick in the teeth.
As it turned out, a strong second half made it the kind of game where the loudest cheer of the night came after former student-manager Brennan Ramirez got into the game and scored his first-ever points to give BSU a 47-point lead.
Ramirez played the final two-and-a-half minutes as Boise State (12-8, 4-5) cruised to a 96-54 win over Air Force (3-17, 0-9).
“Much, much needed and much deserved,” Boise State coach Leon Rice said after the game.
“I was really, really proud of our approach, because these kids know who they were playing. They knew that team’s record. And I think it’s disrespectful to a team if you’re not ready to play.”
The game gave a heavy sense of déjà vu of the Falcons’ last two trips to ExtraMile Arena. The Broncos won both games handily, 94-56 and 77-59, but on both occasions, the Falcons hung around for the first half before falling away.
That was the case again on Saturday, to an even more extreme degree.
Air Force led three times throughout the first five minutes of the game and trailed just 24-18 midway through the half. The Falcons came in averaging just 6.2 3-pointers per game, but hit three of their first five to keep the score close.
The Falcons ended the game shooting 8-for-22 (36.4%) from 3-point range but just 20-for-48 (41.7%) from the field.
“They’re well-coached, they’re disciplined, they’re Air Force. ... If you give them looks, they will make them, and they looked a little too comfortable,” Rice said. “But we just kept tightening the noose.”
The next time the Falcons scored, they trailed 32-18, and the Broncos cruised out to a 19-point halftime lead, 48-29.
Freshman forward Spencer Ahrens was a central figure in that, scoring 14 of his 18 points in the first 20 minutes, including hitting 4-for-5 from beyond the arc.
The Broncos as a whole finished 33-for-58 (56.9%) from the floor and 12-for-23 (52.2%) on 3-pointers.
“Seeing that first shot go in was huge for me. I needed it. I haven’t hit a three in a couple of games,” said Ahrens, whose last 3-pointer came three games prior, at UNLV. “So seeing that going in just gave me all the confidence I needed to keep shooting.”
The good times continued for the Broncos as they opened the second half with a 27-8 run, including their second 18-0 run in as many games. This 18-0 run had it all, from 3-pointers from redshirt senior guard RJ Keene to a huge dunk from freshman forward Bhan Buom.
Boise State came out on the other side with an insurmountable 75-37 lead, which set the stage for some bench players to get some rare minutes in conference play. And they certainly didn’t disappoint, with the reserves amassing 56 points on the day.
The party started when Buom sank just the second three-pointer of his college career to give the Broncos a 89-46 lead. Ramirez hit a corner three just one minute later, causing the entire bench to burst into the air. Rice described the moment as “one of the best celebrations in Boise State sideline history.”
Redshirt junior guard Rayzhon Bergersen, son of Bronco basketball great Roberto Bergersen, capped off the night by assisting redshirt freshman forward Ethan Lathan on a big dunk for the final points of the game.
“That’s why we play basketball, for moments like that,” said junior forward Drew Fielder, who had a game-high 20 points.
“We know how hard they work for us and for themselves, and for the team. And so it just feels really good to see them go out and get some love from the fans.”
Boise State still has six teams ahead of it in the conference standings but continued its climb back into the thick of things. The Broncos have a pair of road games next week: at struggling San Jose State (6-14, 1-8) on Tuesday night and at Grand Canyon (12-6, 5-2) on Friday.
The Antelopes, in their first year in the Mountain West, scored a 75-58 win over BSU in Boise on Jan. 8.
This story was originally published January 24, 2026 at 5:38 PM.
