Boise State had a red hot start against the Wyoming Cowboys in their two-game matchup on Jan. 11 and Jan. 13. Prior to Monday’s game, the Broncos and the Cowboys were the two top-scoring teams in the Mountain West. Boise State led the entire series and came out with a win of 83-60.
This win was a new school record for Boise State men’s basketball. Currently, the Broncos are 11-1 and undefeated in conference play(8-0).
“It’s funny because as a coach and maybe even as a player, they probably with social media nowadays see it and hear it all the time because it’s talked about a lot, but we don’t really talk about that,” said Head Coach Leon Rice. “We’re just getting on to the next. We celebrate this one we got tonight to enjoy and we’re back to work tomorrow.”
Photo by Mackenzie Hudson | The Arbiter
Forward Abu Kigab was the first Bronco to score, ending the successful night with 21 points and as one of the top scorers for his team.
The Broncos played a strong defense and were able to force the Cowboys into a turnover early in the first half. Forward Mladen Armus contributed to defense as well as offense with 12 points and 14 rebounds.
“I see myself as protecting our basket on defense, playing great rebounding offensively and defensively, and giving my guys the second chance on the offensive rebounds to get them the ball and, of course, to score the ball,” Armus said.
A new face made an appearance on the court tonight. After being cleared to play, guard Devonaire Doutrive scored 21 points. From the start of the season, many of his teammates have talked about his ability to perform and score.
In the first half, Doutrive went for a layup. As he threw the ball up, he was fouled and knocked down by an opposing player, but still made the attempted basket.
“Yeah, we have a lot of weapons on the team this year, [we’re] really versatile, [we] have a lot of players,” Doutrive said. “So, I feel like it could be a different person getting the thing done for us, on a different night, besides me.”
Right out of the half, guard Derrick Alston made a dunk for the Broncos. He was unable to score throughout the first half, but later into the second half he was running back after a play and rolled his ankle. He limped to the locker room and did not return for the remainder of the game.
Playing in an arena where the elevation was 7,000 feet, Rice said his players were banged up a bit and it was something they had to get used to.
After celebrating their big win and heading into practice, the Broncos took on the Cowboys in their second game on Jan. 13.
Having an unsuccessful first game for the redshirt senior, Alston was the first to score out the gate with a 3-pointer. He was able to score 14 points for the Broncos. Ahead of him in points was Kigab (15) and the game leader Doutrive (17).
“We just came together as a group, locked in. And we all just told each other to complete the mission,” Doutrive said.
In the second half, the Broncos led by 24 points which was the biggest lead of the game. Shortly after, guard Marcus Shaver shot a 3-pointer to put his team well ahead.
With a big lead, the Broncos beat the Cowboys 90-70.
Heading home to Idaho, this Boise State men’s basketball team has set a new program record of 12 wins in a row. The Broncos will take on Fresno State in ExtraMile Arena on Jan. 20 and Jan. 22.
