BOISE – Tyson Degenhart had 19 points and 10 rebounds and the Boise State men’s basketball team crushed visiting Utah State on Saturday in a 82-59 blowout in front of 12,007 fans at ExtraMile Arena.
Max Rice added 14 points and hit a big 3-pointer just before the end of the first half for the Broncos (12-4, 2-1 MW), who shot 50 percent from the field in what is easily their best win of the season.
The sold out crowd was the 9th largest in the history of ExtraMile Arena. And they were loud and into the game from the start, helping the Broncos build upon a 15-point halftime lead with a dominant second half.
“That was a huge atmosphere and a great Mountain West game,” Boise State coach Leon Rice said. “That was a really, really good team we beat today and we had to play a great game to beat them. Our guys showed up and executed what they needed to execute and were dialed in. I’m really proud of them.”
Marcus Shaver Jr. added 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists, Chibuzo Agbo had 11 points while dealing with foul trouble and Naje Smith had 10 points and five rebounds for Boise State, which shot a season-best 11 of 19 from 3-point range (57.9 percent).
Utah State entered with strong computer numbers (No. 21 in the NET and No. 30 at KenPom) but Boise State led for 38:04 of the 40 minutes and had the margin over 20 for nearly the entire second half.
The Broncos did it again with defense. Utah State entered as the top 3-point shooting team in the nation but went just 2 for 15 from deep in the first half and finished 7 of 21 from behind the arc. The Aggies shot just 39.7 percent overall.
“Shout out (assistant coach Mike) Burns for that one,” Max Rice said. “He was really annoying to listen to all week but he does get the job done and I think our defensive numbers are going to be crazy after that one. Holding them to 59 points is huge.”
Boise State improved from No. 64 all the way to No. 46 in the popular KenPom rankings after the blowout win.
Degenhart, who has been stuck in a prolonged shooting slump, showed big emotion when he drilled his first 3-pointer early in the game. He added a second and finished a perfect 2 for 2 from deep.
He waved his hands in the air to encourage the fans to get louder on several occasions. The fans responded in what was the best atmosphere of the season inside ExtraMile Arena.
“It feels good to get a win like that,” Degenhart said. “It was a great crowd today. … That’s why you come to college, for those types of crowds.”
Things won’t get any easier for the Broncos, who head to UNLV for a 9pm MT tip on Wednesday. The Rebels picked up a big road win at No. 22 New Mexico on Saturday night.
