Mission successful, by the skin of their teeth.
In a hard-fought meeting between two talented teams, Boise State prevailed, picking up a 70-69 win over the Nevada Wolf Pack.
The game featured 15 lead changes and five ties, with neither team ever taking a lead larger than 10 points.
Three players for Boise State (19-8, 11-5) scored in double figures, led by 24 from sophomore Andrew Meadow. Meadow was efficient in both halves, finishing 8 of 13 from the field. Javan Buchanan, who scored 19 in the first meeting between the teams, scored 17 while Tyson Degenhart added 14.
The Broncos overcame the play of Kobe Sanders, who had his best game as a member of Nevada (15-12, 7-9). Sanders finished with a game-high 30 points, four rebounds, and four assists.
Both Boise State and Nevada were close in overall stats. Nevada held the edge in field goal percentage (51.9 - 46.3) and turnovers (eight, to the Broncos 12). But Boise State had one more three-pointer and was better at the free throw line to the tune of six points.
The Broncos also held a glaring advantage on the boards, collecting 11 more than the Wolf Pack. RJ Keene II, who had 10 rebounds in the first meeting, collected a game-high nine off the bench.
First half action
Through the game's first 12 minutes, Nevada did everything right. A zone defense frustrated the Broncos into multiple misses and turnovers and the Wolf Pack found open shots on offense.
After Boise State took a 2-0 lead after a basket by Degenhart, Nevada scored seven straight points. It was a lead the Wolf Pack held until 4:09 in the first half, when a Degenhart three-pointer tied the score at 26.
During the span between, Nevada had a lead as large as ten points at 23-13. While Boise State struggled from deep early (0-6), Nevada received early three-pointers from Xavier DuSell and Justin McBride.
The three-point shot helped the Broncos get back into the game, hitting four of six the rest of the half. Meadow started off a 13-3 run with a three-pointer, the first of seven straight points scored by the forward.
A Buchanan three-pointer gave Boise State a 29-26 lead and the Broncos went into the locker room up 34-32.
Meadow had 13 first-half points while Sanders paced Nevada with 10.
Second half: Down to the wire
Early in the second half, Boise State's lead grew to six and it looked like the Broncos were keying up to run away with this game.
Then Sanders took over.
The fifth-year guard showed an impressive arsenal, whether knocking down jump shots or driving the lane and finishing with monstrous dunks. The effort of Sanders helped keep Nevada in this game.
Buchanan was not about to let the Wolf Pack stretch the lead, however, scoring eight straight points for the Broncos. This effort got the Boise State offense going and the lead stretched to eight with just under six minutes left after two free throws by Degenhart.
A quick 6-0 run by the Wolf Pack narrowed the gap to two points. After defensive stops by both teams, Meadow hit a three to give the Broncos a 65-61 lead with 1:56 remaining. Nick Davidson hit a three-pointer seconds later and a Sanders basket gave Nevada a 66-65 lead with 59 seconds left.
On the next possession, Boise State guard Alvaro Cardenas hit a little floater in the lane to reclaim the lead for Boise State. After a missed shot by Nevada followed by a Degenhart turnover, Buchanan made perhaps the play of the game when he came up with a steal against Sanders.
Cardenas retrieved the loose ball, which he tossed downcourt to a streaking Meadow, who delivered an emphatic slam.
Sanders had a chance to close the gap but missed a free throw with 4.3 seconds. Degenhart hit one of two free throws and a late three-pointer by Nevada guard Tyler Rolison provided the final margin.
Cardenas finished with eight points and nine assists for the Broncos.
For the Wolf Pack, Davidson finished with 18 points and five rebounds. Rolison and McBride each scored seven.
Boise State currently sits tied for fourth place with San Diego State in the Mountain West. The Aztecs hold a tiebreaker, thanks to sweeping the season series against the Broncos. With Saturday's victory, Boise State guaranteed themselves they can finish no lower than sixth place.
As it stands, even with this road win, the Broncos are still considered a bubble team for the NCAA tournament. But another huge game looms large, with Boise State hosting second place Utah State, who currently holds a 2.5 game lead over the Broncos, on Wednesday (2/26). Tip-off at ExtraMile Arena is set for 8:30 p.m. (MT) on FS1.
image credit: Flickr
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