Shorthanded Boise State Trips Air Force 67-42

Boise State utilized its newfound defense to stymie Air Force 67-42 at Taco Bell Arena tonight, the second game the Broncos have held an opponent below 50 points.  Boise State held league leader San Diego State to just 46 points in a win Sunday night.

The Broncos played without four players; besides star Anthony Drmic, who went out with a season-ending injury early in the year, starting guard Mikey Thompson and reserve guard Montigo Alford were suspended for violations of team rules and Dezmyn Trent is also injured.

With tonight's victory, the Broncos set a school record with their eighth consecutive conference win.  That breaks the record of seven straight set by the 1986-87 Boise State team and tied the following season and by the 1995-96 Bronco team.

Freshman James Webb III had 17 points and pulled down a career-tying 15 rebounds despite providing a scare with a shoulder injury late in the first half and leaving for the locker room.  Webb was able to come back and play most of the second half for Coach Leon Rice.

It was a low-scoring start for both teams, but Boise State held a 25-14 lead at halftime and extended the lead over 20 points early in the second half.

Derrick Marks had 13 points and Rob Heyer contributed 12 points.

Matt Mooney led Air Force (11-13, 4-9) with 12 points.

Boise State advanced to 18-6 on the season and 8-3 in the Mountain West.  The Broncos travel to Fresno State Saturday, trying to make amends for a poor showing last season. 

Sources Indicate That Mike Sanford Will Be the Next Offensive Coordinator at Notre Dame

Multiple sources are reporting that offensive coordinator Mike Sanford will leave Boise State for Notre Dame to take a similar position.

I knew he'd leave within a few years, but not after one year.  Good luck Mike!

Boise State Back at #12

The Bronco gymnastics team hit a high score far above the magic 196 and presto!

Boise State moved back to #12 in the national rankings today, and the Lady Broncos are now just one one-hundredth of a point behind Oregon State for best in the West!

http://www.troester.com/gym/WRankings/2015/0209/WT-20.htm

Red-Hot Boise State Silences San Diego State 61-46

San Diego State came into the day as the #1 team in the Mountain West Conference and third in the nation in scoring defense, but Boise State was the team that held their opponent under 50 points this afternoon before a crowd of 10,511 in Taco Bell Arena.

The streaking Broncos have now won seven consecutive games and are the hottest team in the league.  San Diego State, which had been allowing 53.5 points a game, got a dose of their own medicine on this day, with Boise State holding the Aztecs to 35.7% from the floor.

The seven straight conference wins ties the school record set by the 1986-87 Bronco team and tied by the 1987-88 and 1995-96 teams.

Nick Duncan drilled three consecutive three-pointers in the space of one minute as Boise State jumped out to a 17-4 lead.  So complete was Boise State's clampdown on defense that the Aztecs had just 10 points with less than five minutes remaining in the first half.  The Broncos went into the locker room up 30-18.

Coach Steve Fischer's Aztecs chipped away at the lead, closing to 34-30 with 14:22 remaining on a layup by Ageel Quinn.  But Rob Heyer came out of the time out with a three-pointer, and James Webb III followed with a trey of his own on the next possession, and the Broncos were never threatened after that.

Senior Derrick Marks led Boise State with 19 points to pass Coby Karl for third place on the all-time scoring list.  Marks will finish his outstanding Bronco career behind only Tanoka Beard and Steve Connor.  Webb III had 17 points and 7 rebounds and Duncan was perfect from the field for 12 points for Coach Leon Rice's Broncos.

Boise State committed just six turnovers while forcing San Diego State into 13 miscues, with the Broncos converting most of those into points.

J.J. O'Brien netted 16 points to lead the Aztecs, with scoring help from Winston Shepard, who contributed 12 points.

Boise State moved within a half game of first place with the victory.  San Diego State and Wyoming continue to lead with 8-3 conference records, but the Broncos are breathing down their necks now with a 7-3 record.

Boise State hosts Air Force Wednesday night at 7.

Emma Bates Needs Our Concern

Emma Bates has done so much for Boise State over the years.  The ten-time All-American has always handled herself with so much class and been an outstanding representative of the school. 

 Now, she needs our concern.  Emma always finishes near the top of every race she is ever in.  Yesterday at the U.S.A. Cross Country Championships, when the temperature in Boulder, Colorado was an unseasonably warm 71 degrees, Bates did not finish the race.  According to a representative of U.S.A. Track & Field, and he stressed that this was "Very Unofficial", he believes that Emma required medical attention for "heat-related issues".

We can only hope that Emma is O.K. this morning.  Get the rest and fluids you need, Emma, and get better soon!

Tyler Horton Picks Boise State Over Some Great Schools

Bates and Rafla Will Comete in USA Cross Country Championships

Emma Bates and Andrew Rafla will compete in the U.S.A. Cross Country Championships tomorrow in Boulder, Colorado.  At stake:  berths in the 2015 World Cross Country Championships in Guiyang, China on March 28.

Bates, a ten-time All-American, will face two previous memers of Team U.S.A., five Top 10 finishers from the U.S. Half Marathon Championships, and numerous former cross country and track and field NCAA national championships.

Rafla headlines the junior men's race, as he was the top American true freshman finisher at the NCAA Cross Country national championships last November.

Remaining Schedules of Top Four Mountain West Teams

San Diego State (currently 8-2 in Mountain West)

at Boise State

Wyoming

Colorado State

at New Mexico

at San Diego State

Boise State

at UNLV

Nevada

         Projected Record: 15-3



Wyoming (8-2)

at Air Force

at San Diego State

San Jose State

at Nevada

Fresno State

at UNLV

Utah State

at New Mexico

         Projected Record: 13-5



Boise State (6-3)

San Diego State

Air Force

at Fresno State

at UNLV

Nevada

New Mexico

at San Diego State

at San Jose State

Fresno State

            Projected Record: 13-5 (includes two losses to SD State and a win at UNLV)



Colorado State (6-4)

UNLV

New Mexico

at San Diego State

at Fresno State

Air Force

San Jose State

at Nevada

at Utah State

               Projected Record:  13-5

Boise State Women Crush Utah State 94-55

The Broncos nailed a school record 15 three-pointers in the game, and move to 6-3 in the Mountain West and 14-6 on the year.

Boise State Falls to 15th After Disappointing Performance

Ciera Perkins may have scored a "10" over the weekend, but one person does not a team make.  The combined scores of the Boise State gymnastics team totaled less than 196, and the Broncos are paying for it this afternoon.

Boise State fell from 12th to 15th in this week's NCAA Women's Gymnastics Rankings, released today:

http://www.troester.com/gym/WRankings/2015/0202/WT-20.htm

Perkins' Perfect 10.0 Leads Boise State Gymnasts To Three-Way Win

Ciera Perkins recorded the third perfect 10 on vault in Boise State history as the Bronco gymnastics team upended Utah State and UC Davis in Logan last night.

The Lady Broncos, however, were under 196 points, the minimum score they will need to finish in the nation's top twelve.  Boise State accumulated 195.975 points to 194.275 for Utah State and 193.550.

Perkins nailed her 10.0 routine on vault to help the Broncos score 49.175.  Julie Wagner (1993) and Leslie Mott (1996) are the only other Broncos to achieve a perfect score on the apparatus.  Junior Krystine Jacobsen had a 9.90 on both uneven bars and balance beam to lead Boise State to scores of 49.075 and 48.975, respectively.  The Broncos only scored 48.750 on floor.

Boise State travels next weekend to meet BYU and Denver.

Basketball Records Section Now Active and Up to Date

We have activated our Basketball Records* section.  You can now access the section at any time by clicking on the Tab at the top of the website.

The information in the section is basic to begin with, but, as you have come to expect from us, we are not satisfied with basic.  In the weeks and months to come, we will be adding much more information, statistics that you cannot get anywhere else but here, just as in the Football Records* section.

Take time to peruse the section, and see where your favorite Broncos rank all-time in points, rebounding, assists, steals, and more!

Boise State Takes Down #24 Colorado State 82-78

Senior guard Derrick Marks poured in 26 of his 28 points in the second half as Boise State knocked off #24 Colorado State 82-78 last night in Taco Bell Arena in Boise.

Marks hit a 3-pointer with 1:20 remaining as Boise State stormed back for their fifth straight win.  Colorado State led by as many as 12 points, and was ahead 73-68 when coach Larry Eustachy was called for a technical foul with 2:28 remaining.  Marks calmly hit both foul shots, fired a beautiful pass to a wide open Rob Heyer for a layup, and then drained the go-ahead 3-pointer on Boise State's next possession.  Marks added five free throws down the stretch to seal the game for Coach Leon Rice's Broncos.

Boise State put on a shooting clinic in the second half, connecting on 9-of-12 shots from behind the arc to spark the comeback.  That negated a decided rebounding advantage (39-27) for Colorado State.

Webb made three 3-pointers within 3 1/2 minutes to keep the Broncos within nine points.  Nick Duncan nailed two straight, and Hadziomerovic sunk another to pull Boise State within four points at 55-51 with 11:27 remaining. 

James Webb III had 15 second-half points and grabbed 10 rebounds, Mikey Thompson, who did all his damage in the first half, finished with 14 points, and Igor Hadziomerovic contributed 10 points. 

Daniel Bejarano connected for 19 points for the Rams, who saw their winning streak end at four.  Joe De Ciman added 15 points, Stanton Kidd had 13, and J.J. Avila finished with 10 points and nine rebounds.

Marks now has 1,664 career points to pass Abe Jackson (1,660 from 1998-2002).

The Broncos will try to get a rather large monkey off their backs next Tuesday when they head to Utah State.  No Boise State team has ever beaten the Aggies in Logan.

The Complete NCAA Gymnastics Top 25

Women's Gymnastics National Top 25 Rankings for Team Events

26 January 2015 - by Total Season Average

Rank	Team Name	Team Ave	Region	Conference	Division	High	RQS
1	Oklahoma	197.325	SC	Big 12	1	197.850	-
2	L.S.U.	197.025	C	SEC	1	197.350	-
3	Florida	196.975	SE	SEC	1	197.200	-
4	Michigan	196.808	NE	Big 10	1	196.975	-
5	Utah	196.767	NC	PAC 12	1	196.900	-
6	Alabama	196.600	C	SEC	1	197.400	-
7	Nebraska	196.225	SC	Big 10	1	197.125	-
8	Arkansas	195.825	SC	SEC	1	196.325	-
9	Penn State	195.750	NE	Big 10	1	196.550	-
10	Oregon State	195.713	W	PAC 12	1	195.975	-
11	Georgia	195.669	SE	SEC	1	196.975	-
12	Auburn	195.625	C	SEC	1	197.075	-
-	Boise State	195.625	W	Mountain Rim	1	196.725	-
14	Illinois-Champaign	195.608	SC	Big 10	1	196.175	-
15	UCLA	195.567	W	PAC 12	1	196.000	-
16	Ohio State	195.300	C	Big 10	1	196.200	-
17	Washington	195.275	W	PAC 12	1	195.950	-
18	Arizona	195.244	SC	PAC 12	1	196.050	-
19	Stanford	195.225	W	PAC 12	1	196.275	-
20	Denver	195.219	NC	Mountain Rim	1	196.025	-
21	Michigan State	195.150	C	Big 10	1	195.750	-
22	Southern Utah	195.058	NC	Mountain Rim	1	195.750	-
23	California	194.975	W	PAC 12	1	195.175	-
24	New Hampshire	194.933	NE	EAGL	1	195.900	-
-	Kentucky	194.933	C	SEC	1	195.600	-

Boise State Gymnasts Ranked #12

Boise State used a 196.725 score over the weekend to advance to #12 in the national gymnastics rankings.

That isn't the highest in school history--the Broncos would have to get to #10 to achieve that.  After a slipup at Southern Utah last week, Boise State rebounded to top the Thunderbirds in Boise (196.725 to 195-750).

Boise State is tied with Auburn at #12, and is ranked second in the West behind Oregon State. 

Boise State is ranked in the Top 15 nationally in three events.  Boise State is tied with LSU for seventh in the vault with a 49.075 average.  The Broncos are 8th on the uneven bars (49.075) and 11th in the nation on beam.

If the Broncos can improve their floor score, they have a shot at finally making the elusive NCAA National Championships, something they have been close to many times in their history but never cracked the Top 12.

Boise State travels to Utah State Friday night for a Mountain Rim Conference encounter with the Aggies.

Brian Foley & Abe Hewko Win Their Doubles Match

The tandem of Brian Foley and Abe Hewko won at #3 doubles 6-2, as Boise State tries to bounce back from its loss to Texas Tech at the ITA Kick-Off Tournament in Los Angeles.  The Broncos are taking on Pepperdine on the UCLA courts.

Bronco Basketball Team Throttles Air Force 77-68

Boise State held Air Force to under 70 points in beating the Falcons this afternoon in Colorado Springs, 77-68.

The Broncos can expect to get the best game from each of their opponents, just like in football.  That is a sign that the team is becoming the premier team in the Mountain West.  On this day, the players on Air Force played the game of their lives, and it forced Boise State to find another level.  Luckily for Coach Leon Rice's team, they did.

Nick Duncan picked a great game to break out of a slump, connecting on his first five three-point shots and finishing 6-8 for a career high 20 points.  And Air Force did not have an answer for Derrick Marks down the stretch, as Boise State's second half machine poured in 28 points on 10-of-17 shooting.  James Webb III added 10 points while Igor Hadziomerivic contributed nine.

Marek Olesinki had 24 points to lead the Falcons, while Hayden Graham had 14 and Justin Hammonds 10.   

If Boise State can go on to win the Mountain West, you can go back to this game to see why.  Air Force played as if they were one of the top teams in the nation, instead of 1-7 in conference.  Air Force's fundamentals (back door cuts, hard play, and stiff defense) challenged Boise State, and what the Broncos had to do on this afternoon to win the game will make the team better down the stretch.

Air Force lost at home to UC Davis 81-75 earlier in the year, but their prayers were answered on this day, and they were able to make a game of it.  After spotting Boise State a 6-0 lead, the Falcons did their best Harvard imitation, using backdoor plays to frustrate the Broncos and take a 27-17 lead on a Hammonds layup with 7:30 remaining in the opening half.

Boise State, which has made a concerted effort to improve their defense the past two seasons, would have to do just that if they wanted to win.  The Bronco defense found another gear--the gimme layups and open jumpers began to disappear.  Behind three-pointers by Duncan and Marks and a long-range jumper by Marks, Boise State cut the lead to 31-30 at the break.

After a Marks three-pointer to open the scoring in the second half, Boise State never trailed.  Marks was unstoppable during one stretch, hitting two baskets and a three-pointer in the span of one minute to extend the Bronco lead to 62-54.

Air Force called a time out, but it didn't matter.  Three-pointers by Hadziomerivic, Marks and Webb kept the home team at bay, and all it took from there was four free throws by Marks to preserve Boise State's fourth consecutive victory.

Air Force shot a sizzling 54.9% (28-51) to stay in the game.  But Coach Rice found hot hands throughout his lineup, as the Broncos hit 57.8% (26-45).  Boise State consistently burned the Falcons with incredible 14-22 three-point shooting 63.6%).

After starting Mountain West Conference play 0-3 after the injury to senior star Anthony Drmic, the new-look Broncos are all of a sudden back in the thick of the league race at 4-3, and Boise State advanced to 14-6 overall.  Air Force fell to 1-7 in league and 8-11 overall.

Boise State can climb the conference ladder a bit more if they can pull off an upset Tuesday at home against Colorado State.

Payback Time for Boise State Gymnasts

Still stinging from a loss against Southern Utah last week at the Utah Invitational, the Boise State gymnastics team got even with a 196.725 score, ninth-highest in school history.  The victory was complete by defeating SUU on all four apparatuses. 

Ciera Perkins tied her career high on vault with a 9.925 to earn the individual win, her sixth career victory on vault and 25th total career win.  Diana Meija captured the individual title on bars with a score of 9.875.  Paige Urquhart became the third different Bronco to win an individual apparatus by scoring a career-high 9.875.  Kelsey Morris and Mackenzie Bennion finished the night by tying for the floor title with 9.875 scores.

Boise State travels to Utah State January 30.

Bronco Tennis Team Loses to Texas Tech 4-0

This one was never close.  Boise State will meet Pepperdine in the ITA consolation game tomorrow.

#48 Texas Tech Wins Doubles Point Over #34 Boise State

Broncos are hoping for a matchup with #4 UCLA, but they have to beat Texas Tech first in the ITA Kickoff Tennis Classic in Los Angeles.  The winner of the tournament advances to the ITA National Indoor Championships.