BOISE – Let’s get the obvious out of the way first: yes, it was an NAIA team the Broncos played Tuesday night.
But the following can also be true: there were plenty of encouraging signs for Boise State in a 90-54 win over Eastern Oregon at ExtraMile Arena.
Sure Tyson Degenhart did what he typically does, scoring 19 points on a perfect 7 for 7 effort from the field in just 22 minutes. And Max Rice added 11 points and Chibuzo Agbo had nine for the Broncos, who shot 57.6 percent from the field.
But that was to be expected. What wasn’t was breakout nights for newcomers Sada NgaNga and Mohamed Sylla, who took advantage of extended playing time in the second half to provide maybe the most noteworthy final 10 minutes of the season to date.
NgaNga, the highest-ranked prep signee in program history, had 13 points including a pair of steals and buckets in a span of barely 20 seconds. And Sylla added 12 points on 5 of 5 shooting in just 10 minutes of action.
“I’m really proud of them for keeping a good attitude and waiting for this opportunity and taking advantage of it,” Rice said. “That’s huge for this team. The key to this team is the development of the bench.”
Both expected contributors had gotten off to slow starts through eight games. An NAIA opponent was just what they needed to get going.
NGaAga had nine points in barely a minute late in the second half, hitting a 3-pointer and scoring three transition buckets – one on a nice dunk – to cap off the best stretch of his young Boise State career.
“It was great,” NgaNga said. “It’s something I’ve worked for. It hasn’t been hard because the coaches help you and they believe in me and keep pushing me ‘keep going, your time will come.’
“It’s been great because you have people that really care about you here and believe in you. … I feel like I’m getting a lot better.”
Rice said NgaNga was “just scratching the surface…he can be a great player, no doubt.”
Sylla played nearly as many minutes Tuesday as he had all season and showed off a couple impressive post moves while scoring over the smaller EOU defenders.
“It feels good because it feels like I haven’t been playing basketball in forever,” Sylla said. “It feels good to be out there competing and having fun with the guys.
“I’ve been working hard for this moment. I get to the gym every morning before practice and try to get better and get more playing time. … I’m working hard every day and getting better and being patient and waiting on my opportunity to showcase what I can do on the floor.”
Leading scorer Marcus Shaver Jr. didn’t play for the Broncos against EOU due to a minor injury but is expected tor return Saturday at Saint Louis.
The Broncos made 12 of 23 shots from behind the 3-point arc (52.2 percent) and had a 41-23 advantage on the boards in a dominant effort against the under-sized, over-matched Mounties from Eastern Oregon.
Things get much tougher for the Broncos on Saturday when they travel to play at Saint Louis, which ranks No. 53 at KenPom. This will be Boise State’s first true road game of the season.
“They are a good basketball team,” Rice said. “They had Auburn beat on the road and just didn’t make free throws…They’ve got a great home court advantage and this is going to be our first road game.
“We’re going to have to play our best game of the year because I think this will be with all things considered, what they have, the road environment, all those things, this will be our toughest test for sure.”
