Utah State beats Boise State to win the Mountain West sweep
Utah State beats Boise State to win the Mountain West sweep
Aggies increase their lead in the MWC standings; Broncos drop to 7-8 in league play.
On Wednesday at Smith Spectrum, the Utah State men’s basketball team swept Boise State in the Mountain West regular season.
The Aggies led by seven points at halftime and then dominated the Broncos in the second half, winning 75-56.
Mason Falslev led the Aggies (23-3, 13-2) with 17 points as they won their eighth straight game.
Drew Fielder led Boise State (15-11, 7-8) with 14 points and 8 rebounds.
Here are three lessons from Wednesday’s blowout loss.
Broncos blow a promising start
Utah State dominated the January game at ExtraMile Arena, scoring the first 10 points on their route to a 46-23 halftime advantage and a 93-68 victory.
The Broncos got out to a much stronger start on Wednesday, taking a 21-14 lead at 8:35 on a Dominic Parolin transition hoop. Utah State responded with a 9-0 run, regaining the lead on a Kolby King three-pointer.
The Aggies finished the half on a 16-2 run, leading 30-23. Adlan Elamin then sank a three to start the second half and added another to make the score 47-32.
Utah State maintained its lead in the MWC standings.
Utah State ramps up defensive pressure
The high-powered Broncos were limited to a season low 56 points at Smith Spectrum.
Boise State shot 31 of 57 (37 percent) from the field and 7 of 22 (32 percent) from beyond the arc against Utah State’s tough zone defense. The Broncos went to the foul line only nine times and made seven.
In the first half, the Broncos committed eight turnovers and three shot clock violations. Boise State ended with 12 turnovers and four shot clock violations.
The Broncos had a dreadful night in front of a loud Utah State home crowd.
The Broncos were competing for the MWC Tournament seeding
Following Wednesday’s play, Boise State is alone in seventh place in the MWC rankings, six games behind Utah State with six regular-season games left.
More crucially, the Broncos are virtually four games behind Grand Canyon (17-9, 10-5) in fourth place. The Lopes hold the tiebreaker after a dominating home-and-home sweep.
The top four teams receive first-round byes in the MWC Tournament.
With a bye off the table until Grand Canyon collapses, Boise State can still compete for seeding in the MWC Tournament. Earning the fifth or sixth seed would result in a more advantageous first-round matchup versus Air Force (3-23, 0-15) or San Jose State (7-19, 2-13).
The Broncos’ sole path to the NCAA Tournament is to win four games in four days in the Mountain West Conference Tournament. Locking up the No. 5 or No. 6 seed would make the challenge more manageable.