After a tough start to the season, the Boise State men’s and women’s basketball teams came out with wins over the weekend of Dec. 3-5.
Men’s basketball beat Tulsa University 63-58 on Friday, Dec.3 in ExtraMile Arena. This was a much-needed win after the Broncos’ two home losing streak to California State University Bakersfield and St. Louis University.
The Broncos shot 51.1 percent from the floor and 40.9 percent from beyond the arc. After struggling to make free throws all season, Boise State was able to put the game away at the free throw line, making 50 percent of their shots.
Redshirt senior guard Marcus Shaver Jr. and fifth-year forward Abu Kigab led the charge for the Broncos with 17 points each.
Shaver recorded an almost triple-double with 17 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Kigab also had eight rebounds and assisted on Shaver’s go-ahead basket.
Boise State outscored Tulsa 14-2 in the final four minutes. Shaver knocked down his fourth 3-pointer of the game with two minutes left. This shot was the beginning of the Broncos’ 7-0 run to close out the victory.
Redshirt senior guard Emmanuel Akot and freshman forward Tyson Degenhart also scored in double digits with 12 and 11 points. Both Broncos also made a pair of 3-pointers.
Degenhart has scored 11 points in each of his two starts this season.
“He’s learning a lot,” Kigab said about Degenhart. “He has a growth mindset, so it’s very easy for him to pick things up and does a great job at retaining information. I’m just very happy for him, he works his tail off all the time and he is going to continue to get better and better as the years go on.”
The Broncos will hit the road to take on California State University Northridge on Tuesday, Dec. 7.
Women’s basketball was able to pull through with a win against Florida Atlantic University 76-64 on Sunday, Dec. 5.
Photo by Corissa Campbell | The Arbiter
With this win, the team was able to snap out of their four-game losing streak to improve 2-5 on the season.
Redshirt freshman Trista Hull, sophomore forward Abby Muse and sophomore guard Anna Ostlie combined for 50 points for the Broncos.
Ostlie scored a career-high of 18 points, 10 of which were scored in the first quarter. Hull trailed with a career-high of 16 points, seven of which were scored in the second quarter.
The Broncos outscored the Owls 45-25 heading into halftime.
Muse finished with a tied career-high of 16 points and a season-high of 13 rebounds for her second-career double-double.
The Owls went on an 18-3 run in the third quarter to cut their deficit to 53-45, but Muse came out with a 3-pointer before the quarter ended.
Florida Atlantic attempted to come back in the fourth quarter, cutting Boise State’s lead to only four points, but Hull scored eight points during a 10-2 to extend the Broncos lead once again.
Junior guard Kaitlin Burgess finished with nine points, almost becoming the fourth Bronco to finish in double-digit scoring.
“Anna [Ostlie] and Kaitlin [Burgess] played with confidence and hit shots early,” Boise State head coach Gordy Presnell said. “Abby [Muse] and Trista [Hull] were outstanding. Trista has a big upside.”
The Broncos will travel to Eastern Washington to compete against the Eagles on Friday, Dec. 10.
