Boise State squanders 20-point lead, regroups to defeat Nevada in overtime

Broncos salvage regular-season split with Wolf Pack

Boise State's Pearson Carmichael. | Boise State Athletics

The Boise State men’s basketball team blew a 20-point first-half lead on Tuesday but recovered to secure a 91-87 Mountain West overtime victory over visiting Nevada. 

Trailing 30-10 in the first half, the Wolf Pack stormed back to take a 63-62 lead on a Tayshawn Comer three-pointer. Following two missed free throws by Andrew Meadow with 5.4 seconds remaining, Comer then hit a coast-to-coast runner at the buzzer to force overtime at 79-all. 

Dylan Andrews’ step-back three-pointer with 44 seconds remaining put the Broncos up 88-85. Andrews went 3 of 4 at the line in the final seconds to seal the win. 

Andrews paced the Broncos (14-9, 6-6), who are now 1-2 in MWC overtime games, with 25 points and six assists. Javan Buchanan added 23 points. 

Corey Camper Jr. netted a game-high 35 points to lead the Wolf Pack (16-7, 8-4).

Here are three takeaways from Boise State’s thrilling victory.

Broncos start fast, hang on late

Boise State made its first three shots from inside the arc and went up 8-3 on a pair of Buchanan free throws. Consecutive layups from Buchanan and Dominic Parolin made it a 14-5 game by the first media timeout, and a Spencer Ahrens putback extended the lead to double digits at 16-6. 

Buchanan later completed a three-point play for a 15-point Boise State advantage midway through the first half. The Broncos kept their foot on the gas and went up 30-10 on a Pearson Carmichael transition three-pointer, capping an 11-0 run. 

It was a much better start for the Broncos, who faced a 14-point first-half deficit in December’s road matchup with the Wolf Pack. Nevada went on to secure a runaway 81-66 home victory. 

Boise State led 39-28 at the break in the rematch before Nevada stormed back to force overtime in an instant classic. 

Boise State controls the glass

Rebounding margin is one of head coach Leon Rice’s favorite stats, and the Broncos were in complete control of the glass on Tuesday. 

Boise State grabbed eight offensive boards and won the rebounding battle 35-25.

During the early onslaught, the Broncos had as many offensive boards (four) as Nevada’s total number of rebounds. After Carmichael’s three-pointer that made it a 20-point game, the rebounding margin was 13-4 in favor of Boise State. 

Broncos salvage regular-season split

Due to an unbalanced schedule, Boise State has nine home-and-homes in MWC play this season with one-offs against Air Force and Fresno State. 

The Broncos completed their first two-game series last week against Grand Canyon. The Lopes won both matchups by 17 points to clinch a regular-season sweep. 

Boise State opened MWC play back in December with the road loss to Nevada. The Broncos were able to salvage a split with Tuesday’s overtime win. 

The Broncos will have a chance to secure their first MWC sweep of the season on Saturday at New Mexico. Boise State won the first meeting between the teams at ExtraMile Arena, 62-53.