The Boise State Broncos almost proved that wrong on Tuesday night in the championship game of the Cayman Islands Classic against the Boston College Eagles.
After a frigid stretch in the second half, two free throws by Alvaro Cardenas with 12.2 seconds left gave the Broncos a 61-60 lead. A step back three-pointer by Joshua Beadle with two seconds left proved to be the dagger, sending Boston College to a 63-61 victory.
It was only the second made three (2-12) of the game for the Eagles, who entered the contest shooting 40 percent from deep.
The Broncos (5-2) had their chances to put this game away, taking a 54-45 lead on two Javan Buchanan free throws with 8:27 left. Boise State, however, failed to score for over three minutes. The cold stretch ended when O'Mar Stanley hit one of two free throws.
By then, Boston College (6-1) had retaken the lead and used a 15-1 run to go up 60-55 with 3:19 left.
Boise State continued to miss from the field, but the Eagles also got cold. Each team was in the foul bonus for roughly the last ten minutes of the second half. The Broncos were able to stay in it down the stretch thanks to free throws, where they scored their last nine points. Boston College was 11 for 12 from the line before they missed three straight free throws (plus a lane violation).
Buchanan had another outstanding game for the Broncos, finishing with a game-high 24 points, including 17 in the second half.
Boise State shot only 39.2 percent (23.5 on three-point attempts) and committed 14 turnovers. The Broncos finished with 30 rebounds and 10 assists.
Boston College was much better in the field goal department at 49 percent. The Eagles also had two more rebounds than the Broncos, though they committed 18 turnovers.
Three players finished in double figures for Boston College, led 16 from Chad Venning, who also had seven rebounds.
First half
Two offenses who put up great numbers in the tournament's first two games found much tougher sledding, especially in the first half. Tough passing lanes and cold shooting contributed to the struggles for both teams.
Boise State got out to an early lead that ranged from three to five points. Scoring balanced nicely between the starters and the bench and an early Andrew Meadow three gave the Broncos a 21-16 lead with a little over seven minutes left in the half.
Both teams went nearly three minutes without scoring but the Broncos maintained a five-point lead after a Cardenas layup with 4:21 on the clock.
That was almost the last scoring of the half for Boise State.
As part of an 8-0 run, the Eagles took their first lead of the game with two minutes left. The lead extended to three before freshman Julian Bowie hit a three-pointer prior to the buzzer.
Buchanan had seven first-half points, with Bowie scoring five.
Second half
Scoring heated up right away for Boston College, with the Eagles hitting their first three shots to take a five-point lead. Cardenas cut the lead to 33-30 with a bucket.
Then Buchanan, who dropped 28 points in the semifinal victory over South Dakota State, took over.
Buchanan scored eight straight points, capped with two free throws to tie the score at 38. Bowie followed this with a three to give the Broncos the lead.
Buchanan scored 17 in the second half and his layup with 8:55 left was the last field goal of the game for Boise State.
Thirty seconds later, Buchanan's free throws gave the Broncos a nine-point lead. The Eagles switched things up, going to a zone defense for a long stretch, frustrating the Broncos.
Defense kept Boise State in it, though Stanley (one point, six rebounds, six turnovers) was again in second half foul trouble.
The Broncos were able to chip away thanks to decent free throw shooting and thanks to Venning's three missed free throws down the stretch.
Cardenas (11 pts) and Tyson Deganhart (10 pts, 2 of 9 shooting) were the only other Broncos to finish in double figures. Bowie added eight.
A preseason tournament title and another victory over an ACC school would have been nice resume additions. The loss is tough to swallow but the Broncos continue to prove they have a deep bench to supplement nights when the starters are struggling.
On Tuesday night, it was too much to overcome, especially with struggles from the field. Now, they have a week to reflect before returning to the court next Tuesday (12/3) at home against Utah Tech.
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