Broncos Outlast VCU

Friday, November 24

Orlando, Fla. (State Farm Field House)

6 p.m.

Boise State

3-2,0-0Mountain West

VCU

3-3,0-0Atlantic 10

VCU

Boise St.

Photo of team coming out of a huddle in ESPN Invitational 2023.

11/24/2023 9:36:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Gamebook Postgame Notes

ORLANDO, Fla. – Cam Martin made five clutch free throws down the stretch, and Roddie Anderson III's elite defense on the final possession was enough for Boise State to defeat VCU in the consolation game of the ESPN Events Invitational.

The win advances Boise State (3-2) to the fifth-place game where it will face Butler.

Andrew Meadow scored 12 points off the bench on 5-of-10 shooting to kickstart a Bronco rally after trailing 14-4 to VCU (3-3). After starting the game 1-for-8 from the field, Boise State ended the game shooting over 40% from the field.

Despite not making a field goal over the final 5:21 of regulation, the Broncos' defense maintained a narrow lead. The Rams scored only eight points during the final stretch, with Martin and Tyson Degenhart's clutch shooting at the line to give Boise State just enough points for the win.

VCU was set up with one final possession with 17 seconds left. Zeb Jackson faced Anderson in a one-on-one just past half court, with Anderson's defense forcing Jackson into a low-percentage shot that came short of the rim. Martin grabbed the rebound and made one of his free throws on the ensuing end to preserve the lead.

Quotable

"Andrew Meadow saved us in that first half and he did a tremendous job when it looked like we were running in sand," said head coach Leon Rice. " It's hard when you've been on the road for a long time, and we played hard last night. We had some guys that were tired and so our bench really gave us that lift, starting with Andew."

Top Broncos

Andrew Meadow scored a game-high of 12 points while grabbing an offensive rebound.
Tyson Degenhart contributed 10 points, collecting two boards, two steals and an assist.
Chibuzo Agbo stuffed the stat sheet with eight points, six boards, three steals and an assist.
Jace Whiting shot a perfect 3-3 from the field, finishing with seven points, three rebounds, two steals and an assist.

Notables

Boise State had 25 points off the bench.
The Broncos won despite not having a field goal over the final 5:21.
This marks the narrowest win at an MTE since a 58-56 win over UTEP in 2017.
Boise State had seven players score 7+ points.
Boise State has now won at least one game in all ten appearances at an early-season MTE.
The Broncos will play in the fifth-place game of a MTE for the fifth-straight season . . . they finished fifth at the 2022 Myrtle Beach Classic, 2021 Charleston Classic and the 2019 Diamond Head Classic . . . Boise State was second at the 2017 Puerto Rico Tipoff Classic.
The Broncos were 6-of-7 from the line in clutch situations (<10 points,="" final="" five="">
Boise State improved to 15-13 in MTEs under head coach Leon Rice.
Leon Rice improved to 4-2 all-time against Ryan Odom.
Tonight's win ties the all-time series against VCU at 1-1 . . . the previous meeting was an 87-85 loss at home.
Saturday's win featured five lead changes and three ties.
Andrew Meadow's 10 first-half points eclipsed his career-high for an entire game (eight, vs. Vanguard).
VCU made only two field goals over the final 9:03 of the first half – went 2-of-12 from the field in that stretch.

What's Next
Boise State will face Butler in the fifth-place game of the ESPN Events Invitational, Sunday at 2 p.m. MT. The game will air on the ESPN Family of Networks and be available on the radio through KBOI 670AM.