Instant analysis: Shots won’t fall for Boise State in ugly loss at Colorado State
Colorado State shot 56 percent from the floor and got the to free throw line 19 times in a 75-62 win over Boise State Tuesday at Moby Arena in Fort Collins, Colorado.
The Rams (18-5, 6-4 Mountain West) evened the season series with the Broncos. Boise State knocked off the-No. 17 Colorado State at ExtraMile Arena on Jan. 9.
Shots weren’t falling nearly as well for the Broncos on Tuesday. They finished the game shooting 41% (23-of-56) from the floor and went 11-for-17 at the free throw line. Boise State also struggled from 3-point range, finishing the game 5-for-20 from beyond the arc.
The Broncos (16-7, 7-3 MW) went into halftime trailing 37-30 and found themselves trailing by double digits early in the second half. They went on a 9-2 run to cut the Rams’ lead to six with 13:00 to play, but Colorado State pulled away with a 11-2 run and led by 15 points at one point in the second half.
Colorado State point guard Isaiah Stevens finished with a double-double. The graduate student scored a team-high 16 points and added 11 assists. He scored seven of the Rams’ first nine points in the second half, and he finished the game 2-for-3 from 3-point range.
Big picture: This loss hurts the Broncos, especially with a road trip to No. 22 Utah State looming on Saturday (8 p.m., FS1). The Broncos lost to the Aggies at ExtraMile Arena on Jan. 27. The good news for Boise State is Utah State lost to Nevada on Tuesday, leaving a three-way tie for first place in the Mountain West.New Mexico also has a 7-3 conference record.
A win Saturday in Logan, Utah, would be huge for the Broncos’ hopes of securing a top-three seed in the conference tournament. A win Tuesday also would have been big for the Broncos’ NCAA Tournament resume. Instead, they fell to 5-5 against Quad 1 teams and have a double-digit loss to a conference rival on their record.
Player of the game: Tyson Degenhart led the Broncos with 25 points and added seven rebounds. It’s the fifth time he has scored at least 20 points in the Broncos’ past nine games. He shot 10-for-14 from the floor and 4-for-4 from the free throw line on Tuesday.
Stat of the game: Colorado State battled the Broncos to a 29-29 tie on the boards, but the Rams got 23 points off the bench compared to eight for the Broncos.
This story was originally published February 6, 2024 at 9:19 PM.
