Boise State blasts Wyoming for second straight Mountain West win

The Boise State men’s basketball team picked up its second straight Mountain West victory on Tuesday at Wyoming.

Andrew Meadow led the Broncos (11-8, 3-5) with 21 points in a 81-65 win over the Cowboys (11-8, 2-6) at Arena-Auditorium.

Drew Fielder added 15 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two blocks for Boise State.

Leland Walker had a strong game for the Cowboys with 30 of his team’s 65 points.

Here are three takeaways from the Broncos’ dominant performance on the road.

Broncos roar back from another sluggish start

Boise State faltered against Wyoming’s zone defense at the beginning of the game, starting 1 for 9 from the floor and 1 of 5 from beyond the arc with two turnovers.

The Cowboys weren’t much better on offense, and Meadow gave the Broncos a 9-8 lead on a transition and-one midway through the opening half.

After the slow start, Boise State’s offense found its groove during a dominant 27-2 onslaught. Consecutive three-point plays from Javan Buchanan and Meadow capped the run to put the Broncos up 38-16.

Boise State led 38-18 at the break and controlled the action in the second half.

The Broncos also started slowly in MWC losses to Nevada, San Diego State, Grand Canyon and Utah State. In a home victory over New Mexico, Boise State clawed its way back from an early 8-0 hole.

The sluggish start wasn’t an issue against Wyoming, but the Broncos need to be better out of the chute against the MWC’s top teams.

Shorthanded Cowboys struggle to score

The Cowboys were without three of their top players for Tuesday’s game against Boise State.

Freshman starting guard Nasir Meyer (concussion protocol) and key reserves Matija Belic (ankle) and Jared Harris (toe) all missed the game.

The 6-foot-7 Meyer, Wyoming’s second-leading scorer, averages 13.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists. Meyer has been one of the top freshmen in the MWC this season.

The shorthanded Cowboys were out of sync on offense in the opening half, going 8 of 26 (30.8 percent) from the floor and 0 of 9 on three-pointers with eight turnovers. Wyoming’s offense was better after the break, but the deficit was too large to overcome.

Broncos making a move?

After blowing out Wyoming, Boise State improved to 3-5 in MWC play following a 1-5 start.

The Broncos have a golden opportunity to even their conference record entering a massive Jan. 30 road game at Grand Canyon (11-6, 4-2) with upcoming matchups against Air Force and San Jose State, the conference’s two worst teams. Boise State then hosts Nevada, followed by a road trip to New Mexico.

With a difficult stretch looming, the Broncos must avoid another slip-up as they look to shoot up the MWC standings.