IDAHO FALLS, Idaho – The only real complaint the Boise State men’s basketball team had Friday night was about the shot clock.
It malfunctioned several times in the second half and caused approximately a 10-minute delay.
Other than that, its trip to the eastern side of the state was a much-needed success.
The Broncos topped perennial NCAA Tournament team St. Mary’s 63-60 at the Mountain American Center, which was celebrating the 1-year anniversary of its grand opening.
“It’s good to be back in the 208,” Boise State coach Leon Rice said. “We were 11 days on the east coach in hotels. We love being here in front of our fans. Bronco nation turned out tonight. It was a neat atmosphere. We hope to be able to do this again.”
The Broncos (4-3) picked up their third win this season over a KenPom top-100 team. It came after a brutal four-game road stretch on the complete opposite side of the county. They fell to Clemson before going just 1-2 at the ESPN Events Invitational in Orlando. Boise State lost to Virginia Tech and Butler with a win over VCU mixed in.
“We never felt sorry for ourselves,” said senior guard Chibuzo Agbo, who finished with 11 points and eight rebounds. “The next practice we were all super locked in. I think that’s one of the best qualities about this team is when things go bad, we tend to stick together and become even closer. That’s exactly what we did. We had a few good practices and we really went at it. We were ready to go.”
That was evident from the start.
Boise State never trailed and jumped out to an 11-0 lead. The Gaels (3-5) were held scoreless for the first five and a half minutes of the game. They didn’t record their first field goal for another two minutes after that.
It was all part of an impressive first half for the Broncos, who shot 56.5% from the field, forced 10 turnovers on defense and led 34-24 at the break.
“It was really big because a few of the games down in Orlando we definitely came out a little slower. And I think that definitely hurt us towards the end of the game,” freshman forward Andrew Meadow said. “So to come out with that big run helped propel us for the rest of the game.”
But things tighten up in the second half.
After only committing four turnovers for the entire first half, Boise State had five in less than seven minutes. The shots were also not falling like they were before at 33.3% during that point in the game. It allowed St. Mary’s to get within one point at 38-37 with 13 minutes and four seconds remaining in the game.
However, the Broncos responded with a 12-4 run over the next three minutes. It was jumpstarted by two players who didn’t even suit up for them a year ago. Redshirt sophomore guard RJ Keene, who missed all of last season with a shoulder injury, hit a reverse layin on a feed from junior forward Tyson Degenhart. Meadow then drilled back-to-back 3-pointers and all of a sudden Boise State had a 7-point cushion at 46-39.
“I was definitely feeling myself a little bit,” Meadow said. “I wanted to get another one up just cause I trust myself. I trust all the work I put in. I know I can make that shot.”
A pair of Agbo free throws and a layup by sophomore point guard Roddie Anderson capped the run to make it 50-41 with a little under 10 minutes left. The Gaels never really threatened again.
“What we got tonight is a feather in our cap,” Rice said. “That’s a resume win. That team is consistently a top-30 team in the country.”
The Broncos had 10 different players get on the scorer’s sheet, led by Degenhart with 17 points. He also had five assists. Junior forward O’Mar Stanley, who was making his first career start for Boise State, also reached double figures in scoring with 10 points. The St. John’s transfer scored the first four points of the game.
The only player that didn’t register a point was fifth-year senior center Mohamed Sylla, who just got in for two minutes.
The bench, which came in with 30.2% of the team’s minutes this season, was responsible for 22 points on the night.
“We’re very deep,” Agbo said. “ We have a lot of guys who can play.”
“Just a lot of guys who can help us win.”
Boise State returns home officially at 7 p.m. Tuesday against North Texas – another KenPom top-100 team – inside Extra Mile Arena. The Broncos have the 12th toughest strength of schedule in the nation, according to KenPom.
“That will pay dividends down the road,” Rice said. “That’s why you do these. This tough schedule is going to prepare us for this league that we’re playing in that has so many good teams.”