Boise State gets hot from the perimeter, keeps home winning streak alive with blowout

Max Rice and Chibuzo Agbo each scored more than 20 points, and Boise State knocked down a season-high 15 3-pointers Saturday in a 109-70 victory against Western Oregon.

Rice led the Broncos with a season-high 28 points, and Agbo chipped in with 24. It’s the first time two Boise State players have scored at least 20 in a game since a loss to Nevada last December.

Both would have likely set career-highs in points if Boise State coach Leon Rice hadn’t pulled his starters with five minutes left in regulation. Max Rice’s career high is 30 points, which he set last season against New Mexico. Agbo posted a career-high 27 points in the Broncos’ win over North Texas on Tuesday.

Leon Rice said Western Oregon was one of the few teams the Broncos have played this season that didn’t do its best to suffocate Max on defense.

“For him to have some space, it was great,” Leon Rice said. “Credit (Max’s) teammates for finding him some easy shots, and the thing our guards have to keep getting better at is when a guy hits one, it’s their job to find him another easy one.”

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Saturday’s win marked the first time the Broncos have scored more than 100 points in a game since a 106-54 win against San Jose State on Dec. 31, 2020. It’s the most points Boise State has scored in a game since a program-record 126 against Life Pacific in 2019.

“We’re starting to figure out how to make each other better,” Leon Rice said. “That’s the key to our season, and a big part of that is how our point guards do and how they rack up assists.”

The Broncos (6-3) also extended their winning streak at ExtraMile Arena to 18 consecutive games. That is tied for No. 4 in the nation for the longest active home streaks. UCLA leads the nation with 28, Oral Roberts and UMass-Lowell are tied with 19, and Boise State and Louisiana are tied with 18.

The longest home winning streak in Boise State history was 19 games, from March 2, 1997, to Jan. 17, 1999.

Agbo credited the team’s growth in the paint for pushing it to another win on Saturday. Boise State outrebounded Western Oregon 43-14 and dominated the offensive glass 15-2.

“Those guys had a dominant presence inside tonight,” Agbo said. “That made it a lot easier to let (shots) go from the outside.”

It didn’t take Max Rice long to find his groove.

The sixth-year senior went 5-of-8 from 3-point range and put up a season-high 19 points in the first half alone. It’s the fourth time in his career that he’s hit at least five 3-pointers in a game, and he tied his career-high with six. The win also marked the seventh time he scored at least 20 points since he joined the team as a walk-on in 2018.

Rice hit just seven 3-pointers in the Broncos’ previous eight games. Last season, he shot 40% (74-of-181) from 3-point range on his way to earning second-team All-Mountain West honors from conference coaches and third-team honors from media members.

“It’s nice to be guarded like that,” Max Rice said after the game. “I wish everyone zoned us but, for me, it’s really mental. Making that first one was huge for my confidence, because of those early struggles. I’ve been through it before, and I know I’ll be alright.”

Agbo scored 15 of his 24 points in the second half. He also converted two four-point plays after hitting a three, getting fouled and converting the free throw. That’s become a specialty of his. He took advantage of two four-point plays and drew another foul on the perimeter against North Texas on Tuesday.

He said there isn’t much that’s more deflating for a defender than giving up that many points on a single play. He also said teams are going to have to start taking him seriously on the perimeter.

“I think there are going to be teams that say ‘don’t leave him,’ which is going to open up the defense and make it a lot easier for guys to score,” Agbo said.

Boise State led Western Oregon by just two points early in the game, but the Broncos pulled away with a 12-3 run and went into halftime with a 53-34 advantage. The Broncos led by more than 30 points for much of the second half.

Twelve of the 14 players on the Broncos’ active roster scored at least one point on Saturday. Tyson Degenhart finished with 18 points, which is one off his season-high, and St. John’s transfer O’Mar Stanley added 12 points and seven rebounds.

Western Oregon (3-5) was led by Kris Cook, who posted 17 points, and Carson Frincke, who chipped in with 15.

Boise State is back in action at ExtraMile Arena on Tuesday against Northwestern State. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Boise State women fall to BYU

The Boise State women’s basketball team fell 65-50 at BYU on Saturday.

The Broncos (7-3) were led by Abby Muse, who scored 13 points and added eight rebounds. Natalie Pasco added eight points, while Trista Hull chipped in with four points and 10 rebounds.

BYU’s Kailey Woolston scored a team-high 18 points, while Lauren Gustin added 16 points and 18 rebounds.

Boise State also plays at home Tuesday at ExtraMile Arena, where it will host Rocky Mountain College at noon.