Boise State Remains Perfect at Home Behind Cardenas’ Career High-Tying 10 Assists

Tuesday, December 3

Boise, Idaho

7 PM

Boise State

6-2,0-0Mountain West

Utah Tech

2-8,0-0WAC

Utah Tech

Boise St.

Boise State Remains Perfect at Home Behind Cardenas’ Career High-Tying 10 Assists

12/3/2024 10:19:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Gamebook Leon Rice Postgame Press Conference Degenhart, Cardenas Postgame Press Conference

BOISE, Idaho — Alvaro Cardenas tied his career-high in assists and Tyson Degenhart had a perfect shooting night to score 21 points as Boise State notched its sixth win of the season by defeating Utah Tech, 87-64, on Tuesday night inside ExtraMile Arena.

The victory was Boise State's 16th straight nonconference home win.

Four Broncos (6-2) scored in double figures, led by forward Degenhart who tallied the game-high 21 points. He made all seven of his field-goal attempts, was perfect from the free throw line (6-for-6), and added six rebounds in 26 minutes played.

Forwards Dylan Anderson and Andrew Meadow each totaled 14 points off the bench, with Meadow adding eight rebounds. In his first career start at Boise State, forward Javan Buchanan posted 10 points while Cardenas notched a near double-double, posting nine points to go with his 10 assists.

Guards Noa Gonsalves and Justin Bieker led the way for Utah Tech (2-8), registering 10 points apiece. Forward Samuel Ariyibi had nine points and guard Beon Riley added eight.

Scoring eight of the game's first 10 points on four field goals by three different Broncos, Boise State never trailed in the game and led for 38 of the 40 minutes. The Broncos led by as many as 29 points in the game and held a double-figure lead throughout the second half.

In the opening 20 minutes, the Broncos totaled 18 field goals and collectively shot nearly 70 percent from the field. Eight players scored in the first half, with four recording at least six points.

Degenhart had the hot hand in the first half against the Trailblazers, posting 15 points while making all six of his field-goal attempts. He tallied 15 first-half points in just 13 minutes played and was the only player to score in double figures in the half.

The Broncos notched their first double-digit lead of the night at the 8:51 mark on a two-point basket by Cardenas. Boise state led by as many as 18 points in the first half and had a 48-31 advantage at halftime.

Boise State extended its lead to 21 on a two-point bucket by Buchanan and eventually increased its advantage to 29 on a pair of made free throws by Degenhart. The Broncos had a decided edge in many significant categories, including points in the paint (44-32), second chance points (19-10) and bench scoring (33-23).

The Broncos will enjoy a couple days off before hosting Washington State (7-2) on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. MST. The game will be played inside Idaho Central Arena in downtown Boise and will be broadcast on CBS.

NOTES

Shooting at least 50 percent for the fourth time this season, Boise State made 52.6 percent of its shots (30-57 FGs).

Forward Tyson Degenhart was perfect from the field, making all seven field goal attempts while notching each of his six tries from the free throw line. He also made his only three-pointer attempt.

Guard Alvaro Cardenas totaled a career-high-tying 10 assists and became the first Bronco to record double-digit assists since guard Chandler Hutchinson accomplished the feat on Dec. 3, 2017 vs. Portland.

Guard Julian Bowie and forward Javan Buchanan made their first career starts with Boise State.

Boise State scored 87 points against Utah Tech, tying their second-highest single game output this season. The Broncos have scored at least 80 points in six of the eight games, including five of the previous six. It is the first time Boise State has scored 80+ points in six of its first eight games of a season since 2013-14.

The Broncos made 20 free throws for the fourth time this season, netting 20 of their 25 attempts in the game.