Photos (Credit: Cris Tiller/Fort Collins Coloradoan)
Boise State men’s basketball avenged its first loss in two months with an 85-77 victory over Colorado State Friday, at Moby Arena. With the win, the Broncos (14-2, 10-1 MW) maintain their spot atop the Mountain West standings.
Marcus Shaver, Jr. scored a season-high 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting, leading four Broncos in double figures. Shaver became the fifth different Bronco to record a 20-point game this season.
Boise State dished out 18 assists on the night, with eight different Broncos recording at least one. The ball movement led to 52.7 percent shooting from the floor and 42.9 percent from three-point range.
After a back-and-forth first half left Colorado State (12-4, 9-3 MW) with a one-point lead, Boise State outscored the Rams 32-8 in the first 10:19 of the second half to claim a 23-point lead. Colorado State responded immediately with an 11-1 run, trimming the deficit back to 13 with seven minutes left.
The margin was still 13 with just over five minutes left, when after a Boise State turnover Shaver stole the ball right back and scored a reverse layup to push the lead back to 15 and turn the momentum back to the Broncos.
Still the Rams did not go away. They climbed to within six as the clock ticked under two minutes, but Abu Kigab made all six of his free throws in the final 31 seconds to keep the Broncos ahead.
Kigab finished with 17 points and seven rebounds. Mladen Armus tallied 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Devonaire Doutrive chipped in 13 points off the bench.
Boise State travels to Nevada for its next series, Feb. 5 and 7.
