Boise State
9-3,1-0Mountain West
Air Force
3-9,0-1Mountain West
Cardenas’ Double-Double Propels Boise State Past Air Force
12/21/2024 4:59:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BOISE, Idaho — Behind Alvaro Cardenas' career-high 12 assists, Boise State (9-3) beat Air Force (3-9), 77-59, on Saturday afternoon at ExtraMile Arena.
With the win, the Broncos improved to 6-0 at home and have won all six contests by double figures. Dating back to last season, the team has won 10 of its last 11 games at ExtraMile Arena.
"We didn't make a ton of shots tonight or a ton of threes," said Head Coach Leon Rice during his postgame media availability. "We were pretty workman-like with our offense. We did some good stuff, got high percentage shots and shot 60 percent in the second half."
For the first time since Nov. 12 against Corban, five Broncos scored in double figures. The team was led by Tyson Degenhart who poured in a game-high 19 points (7-10 FGs) to go with six rebounds and one block.
Cardenas who tallied his fifth career double-double¾fourth with points and assists¾posted 15 points, 12 dimes and two steals in the contest. His 12 helpers not only set a personal career high, but it fell one short of tying Bryan Defares who registered 13 in a game against UNLV on March 17, 2004.
O'Mar Stanley recorded his third consecutive double-digit scoring effort and notched 15 points and six rebounds in just under 27 minutes of game action. Andrew Meadow logged 35 minutes in the game and had 14 points and four rebounds.
Javan Buchanan added 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting off the bench.
Leading the way for Air Force was Luke Kearney, who registered a team-high 16 points. Kyle Marshall pitched in 13 points, three rebounds and two steals for the Falcons.
After exchanging baskets to start the game, Degenhart scored Boise State's next nine points and propelled the team to an early 11-6 lead. In the first 10 minutes of the contest, five different Broncos cracked the scoring column, including four of the five starters.
With 8:06 remaining in the period, Boise State extended its lead to double figures on a put-back layup by Buchanan. Air Force, who trailed by as many as 10 points in the first half, made it a 26-24 game late in the period on the strength of a 9-1 run.
In the final 35 seconds of the half, the Falcons captured their first lead of the game on a three-pointer by Kearney. Determined not to go into halftime trailing, Cardenas capped the period and poured in a jumper with five seconds left on the clock.
Across the final 8:06 of the first half, Boise State tallied just seven points. Air Force shot a blistering 60 percent (12-20 FGs) from the field and 57 percent (4-7 3FGs) from three, but trailed, 32-31, at the intermission.
To start the second half, Boise State scored the first six points on baskets by three different Broncos. Boise State's one-point halftime lead quickly swelled to eight on an old-fashioned three-point play by Meadow.
Shortly thereafter, the Broncos took full control of the game and opened up a 14-point advantage on a couple occasions. In total, Boise State led by as many as 19 points and outscored Air Force, 45-28, in the second half.
For the game, the Broncos made 29-of-54 field goals and shot over 60 percent in the final 20 minutes. The Falcons shot 50 percent or higher in both halves but managed to lead for only 54 seconds in the game.
In 27 head-to-head match ups all time against Air Force, Boise State is 21-6. The last time the Broncos lost to the Falcons was Jan. 15, 2020.
Boise State will enjoy some extended time off before returning to action next Saturday, Dec. 28, against San Jose State. Tip off at Providence Credit Union Event Center is set for 3 p.m. MT.
NOTABLES:
In 27 head-to-head match ups all time against Air Force, Boise State is 21-6 overall and 13-1 at home.
The Broncos have won nine consecutive games against the Falcons dating back to Jan. 15, 2020.
Boise State outpaced Air Force in points off turnover (21-9), points in the paint (52-30), second chance points (12-4) and fast break scoring (10-3).
The Broncos are 6-0 at home this season and have won each contest by double figures. The Broncos have outscored opponents by an average of 27.3 points per game at ExtraMile Arena this season.
Boise State has scored an average of 86.2 points per game at home during the 2024-25 campaign.
For the second time this year, five Broncos scored in double figures. Tyson Degenhart (19), Alvaro Cardenas (15), O'Mar Stanley (15), Andrew Meadow (14) and Javan Buchanan (10) all tallied 10 or more points in the contest.
Cardenas collected a career-high 12 assists and notched his fifth career double-double. The only player in program history to record more assists in a single game is Bryan Defares who registered 13 against UNLV on March 17, 2004.
With 77 total assists this season, Cardenas is averaging 6.4 dimes per game.
Degenhart has scored in double figures in all 12 games this season. He's totaled at least 10 points in 23 of his last 24 games.
O'Mar Stanley extended his double-digit scoring streak to three games. He's posted 13, 11 and 15 points in his last three.
