The Boise State men’s basketball team barely sneaked in another Mountain West conference win against Colorado State.
Despite Colorado State being ranked 10th in the Mountain West standings, the mere two-point victory was cutting it a bit too close for comfort.
Unlike the Broncos’ last game against the Cowboys, the bench had much more production, with three of the five bench players logging points.
“The altitude is real,” head coach Leon Rice said. “You can’t do it with five guys, you can’t do it with six guys, you need a bunch.”
Tyson Degenhart scored 19 points to go along with six rebounds, while Naje Smith notched 17. Chibuzo Agbo and Marcus Shaver both had 15 points on the night.
Despite a convincing 80-59 Bronco win against the Rams on Jan. 28, the Broncos were in for a tough battle against a powerful offense.
The Rams went 52% from the field and overpowered the Broncos, who went 49% from the field.
The Broncos suffered from deep as they only went 38% from behind the arc.
The Broncos three-point shooting suffered from the get-go as they missed their first six shots from deep. It wasn’t until late in the first half when Naje Smith sank one from the left corner.
However, in that span, the Rams had already taken the reins and were 5-of-6 on 3-pointers.
The Rams went on to go 59% from deep and put up 13 three-pointers against the Broncos, which is the most allowed all season by the Broncos.
The Broncos were outplayed in many facets. However, it was the down to the wire free throws that would decide the fate of the game.
With just 18 seconds left in the game, both Degenhart and Smith combined to make three free throws to seal the deal.
As the Broncos solidified the 70-68 win, they now remain tied for second place in the Mountain West conference with Nevada, and also secure their 10th, 20-win season under head coach Leon Rice.
The Broncos will face UNLV at ExtraMile Arena on Feb. 20.
Corissa Campbell | The Arbiter
