RENO, Nev. – A 14-day layoff did nothing to slow the momentum of the Boise State men’s basketball team.
Marcus Shaver Jr. had 28 points and Emmanuel Akot had 23 as Boise State returned to action after a two-week pause due to COVID-19 protocols with a dominant 85-70 road win at Nevada on Wednesday night.
Boise State had its last three games postponed due to multiple positive COVID-19 cases within the program, but returned to practice last Friday ahead of Wednesday’s game in Reno.
And in a place where the Broncos had lost six straight and hadn’t won since 2016, the Broncos started fast and never looked back – leading from start to finish in maybe their most impressive win of the season. The win was the eighth in a row for the Broncos (11-4, 2-0 MW), who haven’t lost since November 30th.
“We were all really excited to play tonight and it showed,” said Akot, who provided the highlight of the night with a one-handed slam in the first half. “I’m really happy for our guys. It was a great win.”
😵😵😵
EMMAN! pic.twitter.com/VP1qz1xILk
— Boise State MBB (@BroncoSportsMBB) January 13, 2022
Boise State shot 50 percent from the field (30 of 60) while holding Nevada to just 40.7 percent (22 of 54). The Broncos also out-rebounded Nevada 38-29 and won the points in the paint battle as well. Boise State had eight offensive rebounds which led to 10 second-chance points.
Boise State led by 14 points at the half and pushed it to as many as 21 in the second half.
Naje Smith added 11 points off the bench and had a pair of impressive dunks.
NAJE! Hustle play and a big slam for @nsmithofficial2! The Bronco bench loves it. pic.twitter.com/OAvyAw39dd
— Boise State MBB (@BroncoSportsMBB) January 13, 2022
Shaver Jr. had 16 points in the second half to finish with 28, his most in two years at Boise State. He nearly reached his career high of 30, set while he was at Portland.
“It feels good but we just have to keep things going,” Shaver said. “We cant be satisfied. It’s a quick turnaround and we have to lock in for the next game.”
Boise State had been 1-11 against Nevada in the previous 12 meetings.
“I’m just proud of everybody in this program,” Boise State coach Leon Rice said. “It’s easier said than done to come out and play the way they did. We played like a mature team. … It was remarkable, especially with the battles we’ve had with these guys.”
On Boise State’s eight-game winning streak, Rice said, “We’re a great team because we’re a team. Our parts fit right now. … It’s a credit to our chemistry. There’s a lot of unselfishness going on. And that’s when you are good.”
The Broncos, who moved up to No. 40 in the KenPom rankings, won’t get much time to celebrate. The Broncos are back on the road Saturday at New Mexico and home to Air Force next Tuesday before playing at Utah State next Thursday and at San Diego State a week from Saturday.
Starting with the Nevada game the Broncos have five games in 11 days in five different states.
“The only way you can climb the mountain is one step at a time,” Rice said. “We’ve got one step down. We’ll get home safely and get our guys minds and bodies right so we can go play in one of the toughest venues against a really well coached team in Albuquerque.”
