Boise State men’s basketball ends ESPN tourney with loss. Women knock off Big 10 team

Ron Counts
·2 min read

The Boise State men’s basketball team wrapped up the ESPN Invitational tournament in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday with a 70-56 loss to Butler.

The Broncos (3-2) went 1-2 in the tournament, including a 82-75 loss to Virginia Tech in the opening round. Boise State’s lone win was a 65-61 victory over Virginia Commonwealth University on Friday.

Butler (5-2) jumped out to an early lead, but the Broncos battled back and even led briefly before the Bulldogs pulled away with a 9-0 run and led 35-27 at halftime. Powered by Pierre Brooks’ 25 points, Butler led by as many as 21 points in the second half.

Butler was dominant near the basket, outscoring Boise State 46-28 in the paint. The Broncos also struggled from 3-point range, finishing the game 5-of-30 from beyond the arc.

Tyson Degenhart led the Broncos with 12 points and seven rebounds. Jace Whiting added nine points, while Chibuzo Agbo was limited to six and Max Rice finished with just four.

Boise State is back in action on Friday as the Broncos travel to the Mountain America Center in Idaho Falls to face perennial NCAA Tournament team Saint Mary’s. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m.

Broncos knock off Rutgers

The Boise State women’s basketball team came up with two defensive stops in the final 18 seconds to preserve a 68-65 win over Rutgers on Saturday in the final game of the South Point Classic in Las Vegas.

“That’s a great win for our program — not just this year, but all-time,” Boise State women’s basketball coach Gordy Presnell said in a statement. “Rutgers is a storied program, and they have a long history of success there. You don’t get to beat a Big 10 school very often.”

Natalie Pasco led the Broncos (5-1) with 19 points. Abby Muse and Trista Hull both added 11 points, while Mya Hansen chipped in with 10.

Pasco, a sophomore guard from Danville, California, has been the Broncos’ top scorer in four straight games. She scored a team-high 14 points against Santa Clara and UC Riverside, and tied Mary Kay Naro with a team-best 12 points against Pepperdine.

The Broncos host UC Davis at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.