For the second straight week, this time after a heartbreaking loss at Utah State, Boise State took out their frustration on its opponent. The Wyoming Cowboys were the unfortunate recipients, with Boise State (13-5, 5-2) in complete control in a 96-55 victory.
Five Broncos finished in double figures in the scoring department, and 11 of the 12 players who played found the scoring column. Andrew Meadow finished with a game-high 18 points, followed by Julian Bowie with 16. Meadow and Bowie combined to shoot 8 of 11 on three-point attempts.
Tyson Degenhart and Alvaro Cardenas each chipped in 14, with Chris Lockett Jr. scoring 11.
Cardenas was especially efficient across the board, adding eight assists, four rebounds, four steals (all in the first half), and only one turnover.
Boise State dominated at both ends, finishing with eight turnovers compared to 14 for Wyoming (9-8, 2-4). The Broncos shot nearly 60 percent from the field, were 13 of 26 on three-point attempts, and held a plus 11 advantage on the glass.
The game was about as perfect as one could ask for, especially coming off the tough loss against the Aggies. Taking care of business in these winnable games is a must, especially with the team approaching the halfway point of Mountain West play.
Boise State: Defense leads to offense
In his first game back since the loss to Boise State on New Year's Eve, Wyoming's Obi Agbim looked in good form, hitting the game's first bucket to give the Cowboys a 3-0 lead.
That was the last time Boise State let Wyoming even sniff the lead.
Early threes, aggressive defense, and converting open looks spurred the Broncos to a 22-4 run, with a basket by Degenhart giving Boise State a 22-7 lead.
Wyoming managed to settle in, forcing a couple of stops while finding a semblance of offense to make the score 25-13 with 7:11 left in the half.
That was as close as they would get, buoyed by a whole lot of Cardenas in the last six minutes. Dishing out assists, launching three-pointers, and turning steals into fastbreak points, Cardenas was a one-person highlight reel. A Bowie three-pointer at the buzzer provided the largest lead of the half at 50-21.
Degenhart did most of his damage in the first half, finishing with 12 points on four of six from the field. The Broncos held Wyoming to 29 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes, with Agbim scoring 11.
Second half: Rout is on
There would be no letdown in the second half. Boise State picked up right where they left off, connecting on eight of their first nine shots. Lockett and Meadow did a lot of the damage in this early stretch and Boise State's lead swelled to 44 points after a Cardenas three-pointer with 12:52 left.
The large lead allowed players like Degenhart (17 minutes) and other starters to rest a little. No Boise State player played a total of 30 minutes, with Cardenas logging the most at 28.
Wyoming managed to play Boise State even over the last ten minutes or so but by then the game was long over.
Agbim led the Cowboys with 16 points. Dontaie Allen was the only other Wyoming player to crack double digits, with 11 points.
Fouls were a little disconcerting for the Broncos and there were missed free throws in the second half you usually don't see (including two by Degenhart).
Emmanuel Ugbo, who earned a start in this game, finished with seven points and seven rebounds. O'Mar Stanley had five rebounds, with all but one Bronco collecting a rebound, including Brennan Ramirez (who is still on the lookout for his first career points).
Overall, this complete team effort showed how dangerous Boise State is when all cylinders are firing. This type of focus and high-level execution was important ahead of a huge game Friday night (1/17) at The Pit in New Mexico. The Lobos may have been caught looking ahead to the Boise State meeting, losing Tuesday night at San Jose State, 71-70.
Tip-off against the Lobos is scheduled for 9 p.m. (MT) on FS1.
More on Boise State men's basketball 2024-25
Comments