Boise State outscores the Bulldogs 40-28 in second half

BroncoSports.com

BOISE, Idaho – Boise State’s defense led the way as the Bronco men’s basketball team locked down a 63-53 victory over Fresno State, Tuesday night at ExtraMile Arena.

After trailing 25-23 entering the second half the Broncos (16-5, 6-2 MW) opened the period with six-straight points to take the lead, one they would hold the rest of the way. Leading by six with four-and-a-half minutes remaining, Chibuzo Agbo made a three on back-to-back possessions as part of an 8-2 run that put Boise State in full control down the stretch.

The Broncos locked down the Bulldogs (7-12, 3-5 MW) to the tune of just 53 points, the 10th time this season Boise State has held an opponent below 60 points. Fresno State was limited to just 8% (2-25) shooting from behind the arc, just the fifth time an opponent has been held to 8% or lower from three in the Leon Rice era.

Top Broncos

• Marcus Shaver, Jr. led all scorers with 16 points to go along with six rebounds and four assists. Shaver was a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line in the game.
• Tyson Degenhart finished 5-7 from the floor for 13 points.
• Max Rice scored 13 points and grabbed five rebounds, while going 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. 
• Chibuzo Agbo was 3-for-5 from beyond the arc to score 11 points, and he added four rebounds, a block and a steal. 

Quotables

• “Sometimes you have to win ugly,” said head coach Leon Rice. “When you play a grind of a season like we’re in it’s like a bell curve, and most of your games are going to be right in the middle. You’re going to play some great ones on one end, and then you’re going to play some tough ones on the other end where you don’t play your best. But if you’re a really good team you can find a way to win on those nights like that.”
• “We just have a next-play mentality,” said Chibuzo Agbo. “When somebody turns the ball over we aren’t going to get on them, we’re going to say ‘Next play, we’ve got you’ and just go from there.”
• “Credit to Fresno State,” said Max Rice. “Their defensive numbers are really good and it showed there in that first half. We weren’t playing our offense like we have been all month so credit goes to them for great defense tonight.”

Notables

• Boise State trailed by nine points twice in the first half. Nine points is the largest deficit overcome in a victory this season for the Broncos.
• The Broncos held Fresno State to 8% (2-for-25) from beyond the arc – the lowest percentage from three by an opponent since San Diego State (1-for-16) on Feb. 27, 2018, and only the fifth time an opponent has been held to 8% or lower from three in the Leon Rice era. 
• Boise State shot 48.9% from the field, the sixth- straight game shooting over 44% from the field.
• The Broncos have held 10 opponents to fewer than 60 points this season. 

Up Next
The homestand continues for Boise State as they play host to Colorado State, Saturday (Jan. 28) at 6 p.m. MT. National broadcast coverage will be provided by CBS Sports.