Boise State
1-1,0-0Mountain West
Washington State
1-1,0-0Pac-12
Boise State Runs Past Cougars in Downtown Boise
11/12/2022 8:08:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BOISE, Idaho – Stout defense and five double-digit scorers lifted the Boise State men's basketball team to a 71-61 victory over Washington State in the Capital City Classic, Saturday evening at Idaho Central Arena in downtown Boise.
Washington State (1-1) caught fire early and scored the game's first eight points before Boise State (1-1) got right back into it with an 11-0 run of its own, taking the lead. The Bronco defense came alive and clamped the Cougars, who made just three of their next 18 field-goal attempts which helped Boise State build a 29-22 lead entering halftime.
Boise State maintained its lead for much of the second half until the Cougars used a 9-2 stint to tie things up at 48 with just under nine to play. After an 8-0 response from the Broncos, Washington State fought back again to draw within two with just over four minutes to play before an and-one effort by Tyson Degenhart in the paint, a play which marked the beginning of a 16-7 to close out the victory for Boise State.
Top Broncos
- Marcus Shaver, Jr., stuffed the stat sheet Saturday night, finishing with 15 points, a career-high 10 rebounds, five assists and four steals, leading or co-leading his team in each category.
- Max Rice finished the night with 15 points, eight points and two steals.
- Tyson Degenhart shot 50-percent from the field (5-10) on his way to a 14-point night and added seven rebounds.
- Naje Smith scored 12 points while blocking three shots.
Quotables
- "This was a great event," said head coach Leon Rice. "It was a cool event and I thought it was neat. I think our guys enjoyed it and the fans enjoyed it. We'll try to keep coming up with creative ways to do it and creative ways to get good teams here, that's always our mission."
- "These were two good teams," said Leon Rice. "Last year this win was a feather in our cap all year long when we beat them in Spokane, and now we have a neutral-court win against a team that has a chance to be a top-50 team."
- "I thought the energy was great tonight," said Marcus Shaver, Jr. "The fans came through and really showed us love."
Notables
- The Broncos defeated Washington State for the second straight season to even the all-time series at 4-4. The 10-point win is the largest over the Cougars in the series history.
- Boise State held the Cougars to 34.9-percent shooting from the floor and forced 15 turnovers. The Broncos are averaging 17 turnovers forced in two games this season.
- The Broncos had five players reach double figures for the first time since Dec. 19, 2021 against Montana Tech: Tyson Degenhart (14), Milner (10), Max Rice (14), Shaver (15) and Smith (12).
- Marcus Shaver, Jr., stuffed the stat sheet on his way to his first-career double-double. His 10 rebounds set a career-high.
Up Next
Boise State shifts its sights to Conway, S.C., for the Myrtle Beach Invitational next week. The Broncos play their first game of the tournament Thursday (Nov. 17) at 5 p.m. MT against Charlotte, with broadcast coverage available on ESPNews.
