Mountain West Play Begins In Laramie

Boise State (5-8) at Wyoming (4-9)
7 p.m. MT | Wednesday, Jan. 2
Arena-Auditorium | Laramie, Wyo.

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Game Notes

THE GAME: The Broncos (5-8) will open Mountain West play and kick off the New Year this coming Wednesday, Jan. 2, as they are set to take on Wyoming (4-9) in Laramie at 7 p.m.

WATCH: The game will broadcast exclusively on Stadium's Facebook page with Noah Coslov (play-by-play), Tim Scarborough (analyst) and Dani Klupenger (sideline) on the call.

LISTEN: Bob Behler will handle play-by-play duties while Abe Jackson will provide analysis. The game will air on 670 AM KBOI or on the TuneIn app.

LAST TIME OUT: Boise State was unable to hang on to a 24-21 halftime lead, as Oregon pulled away in the second half to claim the 62-50 win Saturday night at Taco Bell Arena. Pat Dembley was the top scorer for Boise State with 13 points thanks to three 3-pointers, tying for his second-highest scoring game of the season.

Justinian Jessup came away with team highs in rebounds (8), assists (3) and blocks (2). Oregon's Ehab Amin came off the bench to score 23 points and grab a team-high six rebounds, helping the Ducks to a strong start in the second half (a 13-4 run) for the 34-28 lead.

Through it all, Boise State still played well defensively, as Oregon's 38.3% shooting from the field (23-of-60) was the Ducks' second-lowest field goal percentage of the season. The 7,563 fans inside Taco Bell Arena also marked a season high in attendance.

ABOUT WYOMING: The Cowboys are led by Preseason All-Mountain West Team honoree, Justin James. James leads the team in points (22.4 ppg), rebounds (9.3 rpg), assists (4.4 apg) and steals (1.5 spg).

Wyoming has a signature nonconference home win against South Carolina (73-64) and most recently posted a 65-63 victory over Dixie State to wrap up the noncon season.

THE SERIES: Wyoming leads the all-time series 14-11, but Boise State is winners of five of the last six matchups. The Blue and Orange have had success in Laramie with a 4-9 record at UW, but more significantly all four of those victories have come under head coach Leon Rice.

Boise State almost won last year in Laramie, as Chandler Hutchison's layup went in-and-out as time expired in regulation play, sending the 70-70 tie game to overtime, which the Cowboys eventually won 79-78.

CONFERENCE OPENERS: The Broncos are 26-22 all-time in conference openers, with Rice earning a 6-2 record since taking over in 2010-11. Boise State is also 10-13 when opening conference play on the road, including a 2-1 record under Rice. The Blue and Orange took down the Cowboys in Laramie in their conference opener during the 2012-13 season, securing the 63-61 road win (Jan. 9, 2013).

GUARDING A TOUGH OPPONENT: While Boise State didn't come away with the win against Oregon in its nonconference finale, the team put forth an incredible defensive effort, holding the Ducks to just 38.3 percent shooting (23-of-60) for its fourth game this season keeping an opponent to under 40 percent from the field. The Broncos currently have the No. 4 scoring defense in the Mountain West, giving up an average of just 68.0 points per game.

CLEANING UP ON THE GLASS: The constant identity of being an elite rebounding team is once again taking shape with the 2018-19 team, as the Broncos are No. 2 in the MW and No. 13 in the NCAA with a defensive rebounding percentage of 76.7. Boise State has outrebounded the opposition in nine of 13 games so far this season.

NONCONFERENCE SEASON AWAY FROM TBA: Boise State played seven of its 13 nonconference games away from home – more than any other team in the Mountain West. The seven noncon games away from Taco Bell Arena are the most for the Broncos since the 2012-13 season when the team also played seven.

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Players Mentioned

Pat Dembley

Chandler Hutchison

Justinian Jessup