Boise State men’s basketball continued an upward trend in conference play this past week, winning two of three games and delivering strong offensive outputs in each of their victories.
Entering their Jan. 30 contest against Grand Canyon, the Broncos were carrying a four-game winning streak dating back to the previous week, which was ultimately snapped by GCU.
As head coach Leon Rice and his squad continue to grind through a thus-far underwhelming season, every conference win the Broncos can pick up fuels momentum moving forward.
“There’s not a lot of teams that are excited to get back together tomorrow,” Rice said when speaking on the team’s morale after their dominant Jan. 24 win over Air Force. “This group is, and it’s paying off for them. That’s what can make us different.”
The frontcourt shone for Boise State in the 96-54 win.
Drew Fielder, this year’s standout Bronco so far, led every player in the statbook with a game-high 20 points, eight rebounds and one assist. His five performances of 20 points in less than 25 minutes of playing time are tied for the most by any player in the nation this season. Spencer Ahrens dropped 18 points, one shy of tying his career-high.
Coming off the bench, Angola native Aginaldo Neto picked up 11 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Redshirt senior guard RJ Keene, who has recently stepped into a more critical offensive role after being a “glue guy” for the better part of the last two seasons, scored six points, grabbed seven boards and recorded two assists in the victory.
As a collective, the Broncos shot 54 percent from the field and 58 percent from downtown. The team also displayed its depth, scoring 56 bench points while leading by as much as 47 points in the game.
After the game, Fielder spoke of the team’s business-like mentality.
“We’re not too worried about our record when we’re in here,” Fielder said. “We’re just worried about preparing for our next game. We’re worried about playing the best basketball we can play and preparing as humble as possible so we can go out and compete.”
Later in the week on Jan. 27, the Broncos routed the San Jose State Spartans 89-58 on the road.
Fielder was again the team’s leading scorer, dropping 16 points to go along with eight rebounds and three assists, while Pearson Carmichael and UCLA transfer Dylan Andrews both scored 11.
The Broncos started the game cold, missing their first five shot attempts, but bounced back with eight consecutive points shortly after.
The offense surged with 14:43 remaining in the first half, scoring nine points from Carmichael, Bhan Buom and Aginaldo Neto to capture an eight-point lead.
The Spartans tied the game at 36 with a deep three to begin the second half. Boise State then responded by scoring 13 of the next 16 points and leading 49-39 with 14:11 remaining in the game.
From there on, the Broncos were in the driver’s seat the rest of the game, outscoring San Jose State 53-25 in the second half to complete an 89-58 victory.
Entering their Jan. 30 game against Grand Canyon, the team carried momentum from their win over San Jose State. However, the Broncos’ four-game winning streak was snapped with an 86-69 loss to GCU.
The Broncos faltered badly in the second half after a strong offensive performance in the first frame.
The team shot just 39 percent from the floor in the game after shooting 52 percent in the first half. GCU shot an exceptional 64 percent in the first, and unlike Boise State, continued their production with the ball in their hands in the latter period, leading by as many as 18 points. At the same time, the Broncos made just six field goals in the final 20 minutes of regulation.
The Broncos were outscored by 15 points in the second period, playing in an intense and hindering environment inside the Global Credit Union Arena in Phoenix.
After a speedbump that halted a four-game winning streak, the Broncos will reset and prepare to take the rest of their conference schedule head-on.
Boise State’s blue-collar mentality will be instrumental in the direction the program goes in the rest of the season. While still not where they want to be, the team has shown an upward trajectory and will continue to use their unwavering grit to shake off losses and get back to work.
Part of the mentality that has helped Boise State teams push through adversity for decades is the unconditional love that the Broncos have for their university and the city of Boise. For RJ Keene, his love runs deep and is evidence of the work he and the rest of the team are willing to put forth for the rest of the season.
For Keene specifically, it also means a potential run for political office.
“I plan on being a Bronco for life, I love it here,” Keene said in a press conference when asked if he plans to return to Boise State next year. “One day, I’ll probably be the mayor.”
The Broncos are still in an undoubtedly tough position as it stands today. With a 5-6 conference record and only 68 spots in the NCAA Tournament, a run in the Big Dance seems very unlikely for Boise State. However, if the Broncos continue to play strong basketball with relentless tenacity and stack conference wins as they did for four games in a row, they can keep their postseason hopes alive and potentially prove that timely performances can save seasons.
