Boise State
15-6,6-2Mountain West
New Mexico
18-4,6-3Mountain West
Rice's Career Night Leads Boise State Past Ranked New Mexico in The Pit
1/31/2024 11:28:00 PM | Men's Basketball
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A 35-point effort from Max Rice led Boise State men's basketball to an 86-78 win over No. 19 New Mexico on Wednesday night.
The win is the fourth over a ranked team in a road game in program history, and the first since 2015.
The turning point of the game came at the 3:46 mark when Chibuzo Agbo made a three to give Boise State (15-6, 6-2 MW) a 77-69 advantage.
Rice hit a three and a pair of free throws to put the Blue and Orange up 82-73 with 1:02 left on the clock. Despite the Lobos finding a couple layups and hitting a free throw, Boise State was able to knock down all four free throws in the final minute to secure the road victory.
New Mexico (18-4, 6-3 MW) made only two field goals in the final 3:29.
Quotables
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"We were saying it all week, after that loss to Utah, that we need to approach every game like they do in the NBA," said Max Rice. "Every game is a big one and if you dwell on the past it's going to be a long conference season. To be able to get back and get this win, one of the biggest during my time here, feels really good."
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"We're a good defensive team, but they've got some really great offensive players that can get into the paint, making it hard to control things," said head coach Leon Rice. "They're spinning around in there and are able to make contact and get the foul call, which is why we were saving that zone for later in the game. We knew we had to make them take some jump shots and they missed a few of them that allowed us to get the rebounds and go.
Top Broncos
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Max Rice stuffed the stat sheet to the tune of 35 points, five rebounds, two steals and one assist. He set career highs in points (35) and three-pointers (7).
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Chibuzo Agbo scored 16 points with seven boards, three assists and two blocks. 11 of his points came in the second half.
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O'Mar Stanley had a double-double - off 12 points and 14 rebounds - to go along with three assists, two blocks and one steal.
Notables
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Boise State picked up its fourth win over a ranked team in an away game, and first since defeating No. 24 San Diego State in 2015.
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The Broncos have gone 3-1 against ranked teams this season (2-1 against team ranked in the AP poll).
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Boise State has played four ranked opponents in a 22-day span — that is the shortest span to play four ranked teams in program history.
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The Broncos are the first Mountain West team to reach four conference road wins this season, and are the only team still unbeaten on the road in conference play.
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Boise State is 15-7 in Mountain West road games since the start of the 2021-22 season — best record in the conference in that stretch.
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The Broncos picked up their fourth win against New Mexico in The Pit (2015, 2018, 2022).
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Boise State handed New Mexico only its 10th loss at home when ranked (128-10).
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The win ends the Lobos' 11-game home winning streak.
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The Lobos entered the game averaging 84.4 points per game but was held to 78 — Boise State has held all eight Mountain West opponents below its season scoring average.
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The Broncos had a season-high six blocks.
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Boise State had 17 second-chance points, 46 points in the paint and won the battle on the glass by eight (41-33).
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O'Mar Stanley had his fourth double-double of the season.
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Max Rice scored a career-high 35 points with a career-high seven 3-pointers.
What's Next
Boise State faces a quick turnaround to hosting Air Force on Saturday. Tipoff is at 2 p.m. MT on KTVB+ and the Mountain West Network.
