In their tenth NCAA appearance, and third time in the First Four, the Broncos (22-11) were minutes away from finally notching their first-ever tournament win. Then the points, already at a premium all game, dried up to near drought-like levels.
Boise State scored only four points over the game's final 4:32 and the Colorado Buffaloes ended the game outscoring the Broncos 15-4 to pick up the victory 60-53.
The Broncos led 49-45 with 4:32 left after a Chibuzo Agbo jumper. But bad bounces, missed shots, and a little misfortune sent Boise State home without a victory once again.
Boise State ended with the advantage in many areas, using a strong defensive effort to hold Colorado (25-10) to 43.8 percent from the field and 4-15 on three-point attempts. The Broncos also held a 41-31 advantage on the boards, collecting 19 offensive rebounds.
Trouble was, they had issues connecting on those second chances, and shots inside the key in general. Boise State got to the rim and had tons of decent inside looks but shot only 34.8 percent.
The Buffaloes also limited Boise State getting good and open looks from the outside and the Broncos responded with a 2-18 performance from deep.
Each team locked in on defense, especially in the first half, where Colorado went to the locker room with a 26-24 lead.
Agbo put the Broncos on his back in the second half, scoring 11 of his team-high 17 points. Agbo and Roddie Anderson III, who scored 14, were a combined 14-29 from the field, while the rest of the team was 9-38.
Cam Martin also delivered a spirited effort. In concluding his collegiate career, Martin scored 10 points and collected eight rebounds.
Leading scorer Tyson Degenhart scored only six points, all in the second half, on 3-10 shooting. Senior Max Rice was 1-9 and O'Mar Stanley was 1-9, though Stanley did collect 11 rebounds.
Tristan da Silva scored a game-high 20 points for Colorado and KJ Simpson scored 19 points and pulled down 11 rebounds to go with four assists. Simpson scored some huge buckets down the stretch and also forced a couple of Bronco turnovers.
Colorado advances to play the no. 7 seed Florida Gators on Friday. Their victory on Wednesday night concluded a First Four that saw exciting action in three of the four games.
First Four action
History was made earlier Wednesday evening, where the Grambling State Tigers (21-14) picked up their first NCAA tournament victory (in their first appearance).
The Tigers battled back from a 14-point deficit and pulled off the victory, defeating the Montana State Bobcats 88-81 in overtime. Grambling used a 50 percent effort from the field and a plus 14 advantage on the boards to secure the momentous occasion. Four different Tigers reached double figures, with Jimel Cofer scoring 19 to lead the way (all in the second half).
Montana State looked in control much of the game. But turnovers doomed the squad late in regulation and overtime. Robert Ford III scored a game-high 26 points to lead the Bobcats.
On Tuesday night, an undermanned Wagner Seahawks (17-15) squad, with only seven players suited up, defeated Howard 71-68. Wagner shot 52.7 percent and committed only eight turnovers.
In the second game, the Colorado State Rams did the Mountain West proud, defeating the Virginia Cavaliers 67-42. The Rams (25-10) shot 55.3 percent and nearly doubled up the Cavaliers on the boards (43-24). Joel Scott scored 23 points and pulled down 11 boards for Colorado State, with Nique Clifford next with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists.
Virginia shot only 25 percent from the field in the loss.
Grambling will take on Purdue, the top team in the Midwest Region, on Friday. Wagner gets the good fortune of facing UNC, the no. 1 seed in the West, while Colorado State takes on no. 7 seed Texas in the Midwest Region. Each of those latter two teams play on Thursday.
Action picks up again on 3/21, with the first tip-off a 8/9 matchup at 12:15 p.m. (ET), where Mississippi State takes on Michigan State.
photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
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