Broncos Drop Heartbreaker to Rams

Wednesday, January 22

Fort Collins, Colo. (Moby Arena)

6 PM

Boise State

13-7,5-4Mountain West

Colorado State

12-7,6-2Mountain West

Boise St.

Colorado St.

1/22/2025 9:08:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — With three seconds remaining in the game, Jalen Lake hit the game-winning three to give the Rams a 75-72 victory over Boise State on Wednesday night at Moby Arena.

The Broncos (13-7, 5-4 MW) dropped their second consecutive game while Colorado State (12-7, 6-2 MW) collected its eighth home victory this season.

Tyson Degenhart led all scorers with a season-high 27 points. He shot 10-of-17 and had five rebounds in over 39 minutes of game action.

Alvaro Cardenas totaled 18 points, five rebounds, seven assists and two steals, while Javan Buchanan notched his second-consecutive double-digit game with 11 points. Andrew Meadow made four of his five shots from the floor and added nine points.

Nique Clifford posted a team-high 20 points and had seven rebounds and seven assists while nearly playing all 40 minutes. Kyan Evans recorded 13 points and six assists, and Lake had 13 points, including the game-winning bucket.

An efficient offensive start at the outset by both teams, the Broncos and Rams combined to shoot 61.5 percent (8-for-13) upon reaching the first media timeout. Colorado State, which made five of its first seven shots from the field, led 12-7 at the 15:34 mark.

Trailing by five early, Boise State used an 8-0 run over a three-minute span to take a 15-12 lead. Degenhart accounted for five of the eight points during the run while Julian Bowie knocked down his 20th three of the season.

The Rams, however, responded in kind and Boise State's two-point advantage was short-lived. On the ensuing possession, Colorado State regained the lead on a long ball by Evans.

From that point to the end of the half, the Rams held the lead and, at one point, forged ahead by double figures. CSU collected its largest lead of the frame and opened a 36-26 advantage following the completion of an old-fashioned three-point play by Lake.

Cardenas, who paced all players with 12 first-half points, pulled Boise State to within single digits with 2:07 left to play in the half. Unfortunately for the Broncos, that was the final basket the team scored in the opening half.

As a team, Colorado State shot exactly 50 percent in the opening 20 minutes and made 13 of its 26 field goal attempts. The Rams hot first-half shooting propelled the team to a 38-29 lead over Boise State at the intermission.

To start the second half, the Rams tallied five of the first seven points to extend their lead to 12. Colorado State eventually led by 17, serving as the team's largest of the game.

During an extended eight-minute stretch in the second half, Degenhart single handedly scored nine of the team's 11 points. He put the Broncos in position to make a run down the stretch.

Boise State rallied from down 17 with 12:29 remaining in the game and took a 72-70 with 1:09 on the clock. Answering right back, Clifford scored on a layup 19 seconds later to even the game at 72.

Holding the ball for their final shot of regulation, Lake capped the possession by knocking down the team's 11th three-pointer of the game with three seconds left. Following the inbound, Cardenas had a solid look for the game-tying shot, but the shot rolled around the rim and fell off.

Boise State will have a week off in between games with its first bye of the season. The Broncos will return to action on Jan. 29 against Nevada at ExtraMile Arena.

NOTABLE:

Following Wednesday's game, the Broncos are 18-16 all time against Colorado State and 6-12 on the road.

Tyson Degenhart, who scored 27 points, eclipsed the 1,700-point plateau and surpassed Coby Karl for fifth on Boise State's all-time scoring list. He now has 1,721 points in his career.

Degenhart recorded his eighth 20-point game of the season and 25th of his career.

Degenhart's 27-point performance marked the 92nd time he's scored in double figures, tying him with Derrick Marks for the second-most such games in program history.

Cardenas collected seven assists against the Rams, giving him five or more assists in 17 of the team's 20 games.

Cardenas made a season-high seven shots while Degenhart tied his season best with 10 field goals.