Boise State
6-3,0-0Mountain West
Washington State
8-2,0-0WCC
Broncos Valiant Comeback Comes Up Short
12/7/2024 5:17:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BOISE, Idaho — Despite nearly erasing a 24-point deficit, Washington State defeated Boise State, 74-69, on Saturday afternoon inside Idaho Central Arena.
With the defeat, The Broncos drop to 6-3, while the Cougars improve to 8-2.
"The outcome of this game doesn't change how I feel about our guys and our team," said Head Coach Leon Rice during his post-game media availability. "We have to do a lot better job of being coachable."
Guard Andrew Meadow had career afternoon and scored a game- and career-high 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting. He added seven rebounds, one steal and one block in 33 minutes of play.
"He's (Meadow) been more consistent," Rice said. "Him coming off the bench is not a bad thing because we got him a lot of minutes, and a lot of productive minutes."
Forward Tyson Degenhart posted 18 points and grabbed five rebounds, while guard Alvaro Cardenas tallied 10 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals. Nearly totaling his second double-double of the season, forward O'Mar Stanley notched nine points, nine rebounds and two blocks.
Three players scored in double figures for Washington State, led by forward LeJuan Watts, who registered 20 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Forward Dane Erikstrup had 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting and guard Isaiah Watts added 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists.
Washington State led wire-to-wire and were aided by a fast start. The Cougars scored nine of the game's first 11 points and took their first double-digit lead of the afternoon at 10:44 mark of the first half.
Shooting over 55 percent in the opening 20 minutes, Washington State went up by as many as 23 points in the first period. All eight Cougars who saw action in the first half cracked the scoring column, led by Isaiah Watts, who scored a team-high nine points.
Conversely, Boise State shot 27.8 percent (10-36 FGs) from the field in the first half, including 3-of-17 from the three-point line. Meadow paced all Bronco scorers with nine points, but the team trailed at the intermission, 44-24.
Washington State scored the first four points of the second half which gave the team a 24-point advantage, it's largest of the game. The Broncos didn't collect its first second-half basket until the 15:38 mark when Meadow scored on a driving layup.
Down the stretch, Boise State made a valiant comeback and outscored the Cougars, 45-30, in the second half. The team shot 50 percent in the final 20 minutes and were sparked by Degenhart who scored 16 of his 18 points in the frame.
With just over a minute left to play in the game, Boise State trimmed its deficit to single digits on a made bucket by Meadow. The Broncos were able to pull within five with 30 seconds remaining, but that's as close as the team would come.
Boise State has a week in between game and will play St. Mary's on Saturday, Dec. 14, in Idaho Falls, Idaho. The game will take place inside Mountain America Center, with tip-off set for 7 p.m. MT.
NOTES
Guard Andrew Meadow scored a game- and career-high 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting. Meadow's seven made field goals are also a career high.
Guard Alvaro Cardenas recorded five assists in the game, marking the seventh time he's collected five or more dimes in a game this season.
Forward Tyson Degenhart scored 18 points and eclipsed 1,500 for his career. Degenhart is now 1-of-9 players in program history to reach the 1,500-point plateau.
Forward O'Mar Stanley posted his second-highest rebounding output of the season, grabbing nine boards in the game.
The Broncos outscored Washington State, 45-30, in the second half while making 50 percent (15-30) of its field goals.
Boise State's bench production outpaced the Cougars, 28-12.
