Boise State rides big second half to Mountain West victory over San Jose State

The Boise State men’s basketball team ended a two-game losing streak in Mountain West play on Saturday with an 84-69 victory over San Jose State at ExtraMile Arena.

Drew Fielder led the way for the Broncos (16-11, 8-8) with 20 points, five rebounds, two assists and two blocks.

Colby Garland had another strong game for the Spartans (7-20, 2-14) with 22 points and five assists. Garland has netted 21 or more points in six straight games.

Adrian Myers had a big second half and paced San Jose State with 23 points and eight rebounds.

Here are three takeaways from Boise State’s victory at ExtraMile Arena.

Another second-half surge

Much like the first meeting between the teams, Boise State turned a narrow halftime lead into a blowout.

The Broncos dominated the second half in January’s matchup, outscoring the Spartans 53-25 after the break to secure a runaway 89-58 victory.

Boise State, which led by three points at the break in San Jose, held a 36-31 halftime edge on Saturday. The Broncos used a 10-0 run to seize control and later went up 62-47 on a Javan Buchanan three-pointer with nine minutes and change remaining.

The Spartans trailed by double figures the rest of the way as Boise State won the second half 48-38 to get back to .500 in MWC play.

Leon Rice has his starting five

For the fourth consecutive game, Broncos head coach Leon Rice deployed a starting five of guards Dylan Andrews and Pearson Carmichael, forwards Buchanan and Andrew Meadow and Fielder at center.

The new starting unit staked Boise State to a 10-2 lead in the opening minutes. Spencer Ahrens, RJ Keene II and Dominic Parolin all checked in at the first media timeout, and Parolin quickly finished off a close-range basket to put the Broncos up 10. The lead swelled to 17-2 on a Keene II three-pointer.

San Jose State trimmed Boise State’s lead to 36-31 at the break, but the Broncos blew the game open in the second half to secure their eighth MWC victory.

With four regular-season games remaining, it appears Rice has finally settled on a starting lineup.

Sadraque NgaNga shines in return to ExtraMile Arena

San Jose State senior Sadraque NgaNga had a strong performance against his old team, finishing with 10 points and eight rebounds.

NgaNga began his college career with the Broncos during the 2022-23 season, appearing in 17 games off the bench. The 6-foot-10 forward then spent one year at Seton Hall before transferring to San Jose State in 2024.

The Spartans didn’t travel to Boise last season, but NgaNga shined in his final game inside ExtraMile Arena.