LAS VEGAS –Marcus Shaver, Jr. and Abu Kigab combined for 50 points as Boise State took care of business on the road, beating UNLV 86-76 Saturday night at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Shaver poured in a game-high 27 points and Kigab added 23, marking the third time this season the Broncos have had multiple players with 20-plus. Kigab eclipsed 1,000 points in his career, 933 of which coming at Boise State after transferring from Oregon, and Shaver, Jr. eclipsed 1,500 for his career, with 654 coming at Boise State since joining the Broncos from Portland.
Boise State (23-6, 14-2 MW) came out of the gates firing on offense, making six of its first seven attempts from the floor including 3-for-3 from downtown. Kigab scored eight of the Broncos’ first 12 points as Boise State built a first-half lead as large as 13 with just over 12 minutes to play in the period.
UNLV (17-12, 9-7 MW) responded with an 18-5 run over the next five minutes to pull within one, 30-29, but the Broncos outscored the Rebels by five points in the remainder of the half to enter the break up 47-41. Fifteen of the Broncos’ season-high first half points came from Shaver.
The Rebels flipped the script to open the second half, outscoring the Broncos 14-6 to take their first lead of the night, 55-53, with 15:33 remaining in the game. The two teams traded buckets over the next three minutes before a 9-2 run put Boise State out in front 69-64 with 8:40 left on the clock. Shaver scored eight of the final 14 points for the Broncos, including seven-in-a-row across a three-minute span, to keep UNLV at bay and close out the victory.
Tyson Degenhart was the third Bronco in double figures, scoring 10 points to go along with three rebounds. Emmanuel Akot finished with nine points, six rebounds and three assists in his return to the starting lineup after missing four games and coming off of the bench in the last two.
The Broncos have won 20 of their last 22 games and pushed their winning streak to four games. The win gives Boise State its seventh road win in Mountain West play this season, setting a program record. There have previously been 10 instances of a team winning at least seven conference road games in Mountain West history, eight of which having gone on to win at least a share of the regular season title. The Broncos also tied the school record with the 14th conference victory overall.
The Broncos, in first place in the MW by 1.5 games over Wyoming, can clinch at least a share of the 2021-22 regular-season title with a win over Nevada, Tuesday (March 1) at ExtraMile Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. MT.
