-
1 of 10
-
2 of 10
-
3 of 10
-
4 of 10
-
5 of 10
-
6 of 10
-
7 of 10
-
8 of 10
-
9 of 10
-
10 of 10
BSU bounces by Concordia 94-77
Archive
Comments
Story
The Broncos took an easy 94-77 victory over Concordia University at the Taco Bell Arena Tuesday night. The game was the last pre-season exhibition.
Three players lead the way, scoring 12 or more points each in the exhibition game. Sophomore guard La’Shard Anderson left the game with 19 points, sophomore forward Paul Noonan ended with 16 points and junior guard Anthony Thomas contributed 12 points. Thomas, the only returning starter, also went 3-for-4 from the line.
Although the players are all fairly new to each other, it didn’t stop them. The Broncos put up high stats as a team with 48.6 shot percentage, a 32.1 percentage from beyond the arc and a whopping 88.2 percentage from the free-throw line. Anderson shot 6-for-6 from the line.
Concordia drew first blood with a three-pointer off the hands of Alex Tiefenthaler eight seconds into the game. From there, the Cavaliers held the lead by a few points. At the 13-minute mark, Concordia was still up 17-16 with three solid shots from behind the arc. That’s where things changed.
“They did a good job of jumping on us from the start and we didn’t come ready to play in those first couple minutes,” Noonan said. “We were able to spark the offense a little around the 15-minute mark and got things rolling a little. From there we were able to build solid lead.”
Once the Broncos finally synchronized as a team, Concordia could not stop them. Noonan stepped up, putting in two from beyond the 3-point line within 30 seconds, allowing the Broncos to take the lead at 19-17. Concordia never gained the lead back.
“Basically, we just started running the offense and playing better defense,” Thomas said.
As a defense, Boise State snagged 15 rebounds, five blocks and four steals. As the first half continued, the Broncos continued to run the ball well, leaving the first half with an unbelievable 50-30 lead.
Coming back for the second half, things didn’t change much. Boise State continued to run with the lead, with no less than a 15-point margin. With five minutes left in the game, Boise State lead by 23 after consistent free throw shots from Anderson and several shots contributed by his teammates. The buzzer finally put the Cavaliers out of their misery.
“Going into the exhibition games we basically tried to concentrate on three things: playing hard, playing smart and playing together,” Noonan said. “These are good games to try to gel as a team and work out some of the early kinks. I think we did a good job of playing hard and together, and as the season continues I think we’ll only improve.”
Be sure to catch the Broncos in their season opener Friday night as they play Pacific University at 8:15 p.m. in the Taco
Bell Arena.
SILVER HENRY
Arbiter Journalist
