Boise State narrowly survived the persistence of the Montana State Bobcats Saturday afternoon, leaving ExtraMile Arena with a 62-58 victory for their second win of the week.
The win marks the third-straight for the Broncos since dropping the season opener to Division II team Hawaii Pacific. The Nov. 3 loss has been widely regarded as one of the worst defeats in program history.
The Broncos, now sitting at 3-1 on the year, won the game by way of strong defense and crashing the boards, but still had four players score double-digits in the contest. The offensive attack was headed by senior forward Javan Buchanan, who notched a team-leading 19 points to go along with nine rebounds and two steals.
Junior Andrew Meadow, known affectionately as “goggles” by many fans, was very effective as well, shooting 5-for-9 from the field and registering 14 points and four rebounds in 27 minutes on the floor.
Additionally, 13 points and five boards from Drew Fielder, as well as a stellar all-around performance from UCLA transfer Dylan Andrews, helped the Broncos topple the Bobcats. Andrews picked up 10 points, five rebounds and five assists, while hitting eight of his nine free-throw attempts.
After the game, head coach Leon Rice praised the tenacity of Montana State, acknowledging that gritty defense and rebounding are what allowed his team to come out on top.
“That team we played, we knew what we were in for,” Rice said. “The great thing about a game like that is that’s a realistic view of how you have to play in league games. The best defensive team and the best rebounding team is going to win in this league. We have to keep getting better at it, but we made a big step tonight.”
The first half of the game featured an evenly matched contest. Both teams shared identical stat lines, making 11 of their 27 field goals, and neither team led by more than eight points in the half.
Despite no large lead in the first frame, the Broncos led the Bobcats for over 16 minutes and scored on 50 percent of their possessions. Entering the locker room at halftime, Boise State held a five-point lead.
The Broncos scored 10 of the first 14 points scored in the second half. Consecutive threes from Javan Buchanan grew the Bronco lead to 11. Despite this, a 15-0 run by the Bobcats put them up by four with 11:37 left in regulation.
With just over a minute to go, Javan Buchanan scored on a clutch three-point play, putting the Broncos up by two. In the final seconds, the nail in the coffin came in the form of two made free throws by Dylan Andrews.
Postgame, Buchanan spoke on the team’s ability to fight through adversity.
“I feel like a couple of weeks ago, we wouldn’t have won that game,” Buchanan said. “Just playing together and not giving up on each other and finding a way to win. Sometimes you have to win ugly.”
Earlier in the week, the Broncos defeated the UTRGV Vaqueros 86-65, capitalizing on a season-high 21-point performance from Andrew Meadow.
As a team, Boise State shot roughly 50% from the field in the contest, knocking down 10 three-pointers en route to a second-consecutive victory.
Meadow tied his career high with eight made field goals to complement his five rebounds and three assists. In the postgame press conference, Meadow attributed his performance to his hard work and growth within the last year.
“I’ve seen a lot of growth, just working every single day in the offseason,” Meadow said. “I feel a lot more comfortable on the court. I see more things, I’m more calm, and the game has really opened up to me.”
Javan Buchanan was right behind Meadow, scoring 15 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals. Point guard Dylan Andrews had 12 points and four assists of his own.
The Bronco reserves made names for themselves as well. In 20 minutes of action, Spencer Ahrens scored 11 points and notched six rebounds. Dominic Parolin and Pearson Carmichael each had nine points in the game.
Both teams shot the ball well in the first 12-plus minutes of regulation, combining to shoot 18-for-34 for 45 total points.
With Andrew Meadow leading all players with 15 first-half points, the Broncos held a 12-point lead entering the intermission. The team made 17 field goals, including five threes, in the first half.
In the second half, a two-minute, 10-0 run by Boise State extended their lead to 19. The Broncos led by 20 in the final 90 seconds, representing their largest lead of the night and eventually won by that margin. The Broncos attacked the boards with purpose, outrebounding UTRGV 44-20.
Head coach Leon Rice had high praise for his team after the game.
“I was really proud of our guys,” Rice said. “[UTRGV] had our attention because they can really get it going. You have to stop them or they’ll score a lot. I thought our defense got better. Now, there’s tons of room for growth, but there were some real positives.”
With Boise State now 190-41 at ExtraMile Arena under head coach Leon Rice, the team will seek to continue home dominance as it wraps up its five-game homestand with a 7 p.m. Tuesday tipoff against Wichita State.
