SPORTS & REC

February 9, 2023 | ARBITERONLINE.COM

BOISE STATE OVERPOWERED BY SAN DIEGO STATE IN 52-72 LOSS

Boise State loses the battle for the title of first place in the Mountain West

Marlei Soderquist | Sports & Rec Reporter | sports@stumedia.boisestate.edu

BBoise State failed to reclaim the top spot in the Mountain West as No. 22 San Diego routed the Broncos 52-72 on Feb. 3.

The two Mountain West conference foes battled for the title of first place in the Mountain West. With both teams sitting at 8-2 in the division, the game would decide who would regain control.

However, no one ever said reclaiming the top spot would be easy.

Despite the Broncos having had a three-game winning streak against the San Diego Aztecs, the lack in bench power and weak offensive display proved to be the source of contention.

The halftime stats were underwhelming and messy all on their own.

Both teams had a bountiful amount of unforced errors, unprecedented turnovers and multiple players in foul trouble.

The only question was, which team was messier?

The Broncos were 9-27 (33%) from field goal range, 0-7 from behind the arc with nine turnovers in the half.

San Diego State did not have an overwhelmingly impressive first half statline either.

Despite going 16-31 (51%) from the field and 3-10 from three, the Aztecs had a 43-21 lead to enter half time.

The Broncos played a game that was shaped by injuries and an underdeveloped bench.

The Broncos starting lineup has been consistent for most of the season with Naje Smith, Tyson Degenhart, Max Rice, Chibuzo Agbo and Marcus Shaver Jr. taking the starting slots.

Fifth-year point guard Marcus Shaver Jr. was out for the night’s game due to an injury, meaning the starting five looked a little different than before.

Jace Whiting took over as starting point guard for the absent Shaver, as a multitude of new names were on display on the court.

In one of the most crucial games of the season so far, the lineup primarily consisted of inexperienced players.

The first half saw a total of 10 different players on the court for the Broncos.

Pavle Kuzmanovic, Mohamed Syla, Lukas Milner, Burke Smith, Kobe Young and Sadraque NgaNga were the new names on the court.

Combined, the bench scored 16 of the 52 total points for the Broncos. Kuzmanovic led the bench with a total of eight points for the night.

Despite the sunny San Diego weather, the Broncos couldn’t see the light.

One of the more formidable Broncos, Max Rice, went just 0-5 from deep. Even though he is averaging 43% from deep on the season, nothing would fall his way.

Chibuzo Agbo, the San Diego native, averages 11.7 points per game on the season, yet couldn’t make anything happen on the floor either.

Agbo garnered just nine points on the night, going 2-7 from the field and 0-3 from deep.

The Broncos were down by as much as 38-62 in the second half.

With this loss, the Broncos fall to 8-3 in the conference and will be among Utah State and Nevada in second place in the standings.

The Broncos’ next game will be at Extra Mile Arena on Feb. 11 as they take on Wyoming.

ABBY MUSE BREAKS BOISE STATE RECORD FOR ALL-TIME CAREER BLOCKS

Muse reached a record of 144 career blocks after the Broncos’ victory over the Nevada Wolf Pack

Adam Bridges | Sports & Rec Editor | sports@stumedia.boisestate.edu

Junior forward Abby Muse etched herself into the record books after becoming the Boise State women’s basketball team’s all-time career block leader.

The accomplishment came during the Broncos’ 62-58 victory over the Nevada Wolf Pack Thursday, Feb. 2.

“It feels crazy, which is super cliché to say,” Muse said about setting the all-time block record. “It makes this win even sweeter. To come out on the road and get a win that we battled for and then to get this accomplishment on top of it, I couldn’t ask for a better night.”

The 6-foot-3 forward came into the game with 138 career blocks and added six more blocked shots during the game to pass Stephanie Block’s block record of 142.

This accomplishment could not have been achieved without Muse’s monumental performance this season. Muse recorded 71 blocks this season alone. This ranks third in the NCAA behind Saint Louis center Brooke Flowers and Stanford forward Cameron Brink, and first in the Mountain West.

“She has great timing, and she’s obviously long and athletic,” head coach Gordy Presnell said about Muse. “It gives you a psychological advantage as a rim protector.”

Her 71 blocks also put her eight blocks away from breaking the record for most blocks in a single season at Boise State. Camille Redmon holds the current record after posting 77 blocks during the 201415 season.

Despite the great success she has gotten from her ability to force blocked shots, Muse only sees her blocking ability as another piece to her great playmaking ability.

“It’s just playing defense for me. It’s something I’ve always been able to do,” Muse said about forcing blocks. “It’s one of my assets, one of my strengths, so if one of my teammates needs help if they get beat, I’m gonna fly in there and try to help them.”