Offense was firing, the defense was in lockdown mode, and the Broncos looked every bit like a team ready to run the Gaels out of the gym.
Then, action stagnated and shots stopped falling. Thankfully, the defense was impressive as the Broncos (4-3) held on to pick up a 63-60 victory.
An active, often trapping defense had Boise State giving Saint Mary's (3-5) fits all night. The Gaels were only 2-14 on three-point attempts and had five turnovers (14 overall) in the game's opening minutes as Boise State opened on an 11-0 run.
Boise State showed off the depth of its roster, partially due to first-half foul trouble from multiple players. And it was a nice mix of upper and lower classmen contributing at key moments in the victory.
Broncos weather the storm
After the fast start for the Broncos provided a nice cushion, Saint Mary's was able to slowly chip away at the lead. Thanks, in large part, to a frigid Bronco offense that went without a field goal for minutes at a time.
The Gaels, however, never really got on a true hot streak. Boise State held a ten-point lead at the half and it wasn't until early in the second half that Saint Mary's got on a little roll.
A 13-2 run brought the Gaels to within one, at 38-37, and they seemed poised to get their first lead of the night.
Then freshman Andrew Meadow took over.
Meadow connected on back-to-back threes with his only buckets of the night and the lead was once again at seven. Meadow was part of a second unit that saw a lot of minutes in the second half, often rotating in with only one or two starters on the floor for the stretch run of the game.
Saint Mary's hung around and Boise State once again went cold. Both teams missed too many free throws but the Broncos did enough to hold on.
Tyson Degenhart led Boise State with 17 points (only five after halftime), adding four rebounds and five assists. Chibuzo Agbo chipped in 11 points and 8 rebounds, with O'Mar Stanley adding 10 in the scoring column.
The bench had a nice night with 22 points. Roddie Anderson III had 7 points to go along with Meadow's six and RJ Keene scored five.
While there were contributions across the board, there were still far too many moments where the offense struggled to keep things going.
East coast recap
Going three to four minutes without a field goal has long seemed a problem with Boise State. And it's reared its head again early this season.
A 1-3 road trip proved that. Granted, the Broncos played some very tough defensive teams, and they were in every game they lost.
In losses to Clemson and Virginia Tech, Boise State still managed to score 68 and 75 points. Defense, rebounding, and turnovers did the team in those losses, though not all three areas at the same time in each game.
Like most teams, Boise State is best on offense with ball movement and fluidity. Too often, the Broncos can get stuck in isolation or locked in with a two-man game on one side of the court, eating away too much of the shot clock. Then, shots are forced, and lack of scoring ensues.
It's part of today's game, really, with the dribble-handoffs and allowing all players to create. It just seems the Broncos are much better with quick ball movement, back cuts, and motion.
A nice win over VCU was part of the trip, and I think when it's all said and done, these losses won't necessarily be bad ones (just that another victory might have been nice to pad the old resume).
Scoring droughts are going to be part of most games. But the Broncos can overcome those, as long as the defense remains solid and the bench, one of the deepest for Boise State in recent years, can contribute. And those droughts should be less apparent as the season wears on.
Boise State will look to keep their momentum going when they take the court on December 5, hosting the North Texas Mean Green (5-2). Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. (MST).
photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
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