Boise State falls to UNLV in another overtime heartbreaker

Rebels hold on to defeat Broncos, 89-85

Boise State's Andrew Meadow. | Boise State Athletics

The Boise State men’s basketball team suffered its fourth straight Mountain West loss on Tuesday at UNLV.

After Drew Fielder forced overtime with a late three-pointer, the Rebels (8-8, 3-2) regrouped and held on for a 89-85 victory over the short-handed Broncos (9-8, 1-5). 

Boise State began its four-game skid with a 110-107 triple overtime loss at San Diego State. 

Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn carried the Rebels with 33 points, six assists and five rebounds. 

Fielder paced the Broncos with 23 points and four rebounds. Andrew Meadow added 21 points, six rebounds and two steals. 

Came up short in OT#BleedBlue x #UnbreakableCulture x @bankfirstfed pic.twitter.com/0v1KGLHJAe

— Boise State MBB (@BroncoSportsMBB) January 14, 2026

Here are three takeaways from Boise State’s latest defeat. 

Boise State goes to double-big starting five  

Following the triple overtime loss to the Aztecs, Boise State decided to switch up its usual starting lineup of guards Dylan Andrews and RJ Keene II, forwards Javan Buchanan and Meadow and Fielder at center. 

Head coach Leon Rice started Aginaldo Neto and Dominic Parolin in place of Keene II and Fielder, respectively, against Grand Canyon. The Broncos surrendered the game’s first eight points in a 75-58 loss. 

Rice put Fielder back into the starting lineup against Utah State to similar results. The Aggies seized a quick 10-0 lead in a runaway 93-68 victory, the worst home loss in Rice’s 16 years at the helm. 

With Buchanan sidelined due to a sore back, Rice deployed a double-big starting five of Fielder and Parolin alongside Andrews, Keene II and Meadow against UNLV. The group performed better than the previous two starting lineups as Boise State was locked in an 8-8 tie with the Rebels at the first media timeout.

UNLV led 40-39 at the half and made enough plays in overtime to seal the win. 

Boise State fell to 0-8 when trailing at the half. 

Javan Buchanan’s health 

Buchanan, Boise State’s most versatile offensive threat, is averaging 11.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists as a senior. 

At 6-foot-7 and 230 pounds, Buchanan is a three-level scorer who is also an impact player on defense. 

The Broncos ran out of gas without Buchanan as Parolin fouled out in overtime. Andrews watched the overtime period with ice packs on his knees. 

Buchanan suffered his back injury during the Grand Canyon loss and played through it for one half against Utah State. His status moving forward is uncertain. 

If the Broncos are going to make a move in the MWC standings, Buchanan will likely be a key piece to the puzzle. 

Troubling stats 

Boise State did plenty of things well at UNLV, including a 30 of 61 (49 percent) effort from the floor. 

But the Broncos were out-rebounded for the third straight game (UNLV had 40 boards to Boise State’s 33) while committing several costly turnovers. 

UNLV scored 29 points off 15 Boise State turnovers. The Broncos mustered just 12 points off the Rebels’ 13 giveaways.