Boise State’s frontcourt trio of Mladen Armus, Tyson Degenhart and Abu Kigab combined for 51 points Tuesday, including 31 in the second half, to lift the Broncos to a 72-60 win against Santa Clara at ExtraMile Arena.
After the teams traded runs in the first half, they traded baskets for much of the second. A Kigab three-pointer with 8:13 to play put Boise State ahead 58-56, the 15th lead change of the second half. It proved to be the final lead change as Boise State (7-4) locked in defensively and ran its win streak to four games.
Kigab’s triple was the start of a 17-2 run for the home team, resulting in a 72-58 lead. Boise State held Santa Clara (7-5) scoreless for nearly six minutes before a goaltending call with 29 seconds remaining awarded the visiting Broncos with a basket to provide the final margin.
Armus poured in a season-high 17 points to go with 12 rebounds in his second double-double of the year. He had 11 points in the second half, including eight in the first four minutes, and collected seven rebounds during Boise State’s game-deciding run over the final six minutes.
Degenhart led the team with 18 points, a dozen coming after halftime. The freshman scored six points during Boise State’s late run and took game-high scoring honors for the second time in the last three outings. He is averaging 15.4 points since being inserted into the starting lineup five games ago.
Boise State ran out to a 19-9 lead before Santa Clara stormed back with an 18-2 run. The visitors eventually took a 30-27 lead into the locker room. Santa Clara was 6-for-11 from three-point range in the first half, while Boise State was 0-for-9 beyond the arc. The roles reversed in the second half. Boise State made 5-of-8 long-range attempts and limited Santa Clara to 2-for-8 in the second period.
Boise State closes its three-game homestand Sunday, against Montana Tech at 4 p.m. It is the final home nonconference game of the season.
