Boise State stays alive in race for Mountain West Tournament bye with win at Fresno State

The Boise State men’s basketball team kept its slim hopes of a Mountain West Tournament first-round bye alive on Saturday with a 69-53 victory over Fresno State at Save Mart Center.

Javan Buchanan paced the Broncos (18-11, 10-8) with 25 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals.

DeShawn Gory had 20 points and 11 boards to lead the Bulldogs (12-17, 6-12).

Here are three takeaways from Boise State’s third straight MWC victory.

Broncos bomb away

Fresno State opted to protect the paint and dare Boise State to shoot from deep, and the Broncos happily obliged.

Twenty-two of Boise State’s first 25 field goal attempts came from beyond the arc. The Broncos missed six straight to open the game but made eight of their next 16, including an RJ Keene II bomb that put Boise State up 26-17 late in the opening half.

The Broncos rebounded many of the misses, grabbing 11 offensive boards in the first half and 17 for the game.

Boise State attacked inside more in the second half and finished the evening 11 of 37 (30 percent) from beyond the arc. The Broncos hoisted up 27 threes in the opening half, making eight.

Keene II returns to starting lineup

Keene II started 20 of Boise State’s first 23 games of the season, but the senior guard missed the New Mexico win due to illness and came off the bench during the next four games.

Pearson Carmichael, who started in place of Keene II, couldn’t go on Saturday due to an ankle injury, so head coach Leon Rice opted to put Keene II back into the starting lineup.

In his return as a starter, Keene II recorded five points and four rebounds at Save Mart Center. Keene II had a strong game in his previous outing against Wyoming, tallying two points, nine rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks.

Fresno State was also shorthanded as point guard Zaon Collins sat out with a calf injury. Collins averages 11.6 points, 4.6 assists and 3.4 rebounds.

Broncos to face reeling Aztecs in home finale

Boise State will battle a desperate opponent on Tuesday night to wrap up its home slate.

San Diego State (19-9, 13-5), which has dropped three of its last four games to tumble down the NCAA Tournament bubble pecking order, will attempt to stop the bleeding against the Broncos.

In the first meeting between the teams, the Aztecs squandered a 24-point first-half lead before rallying back to win in triple overtime, 110-107.

San Diego State suffered an 81-76 road loss to New Mexico (22-7, 13-5) on Saturday. Boise State swept the regular-season series with the Lobos.

After hosting San Diego State, the Broncos close MWC play next Saturday at Colorado State (19-10, 10-8). Boise State needs to win both games to have any chance at securing a top-four seed and a first-round bye at the MWC Tournament.