Takin’ care of business.

Put simply, Boise State won a game that they were supposed to win.

The key bright spot was that a multitude of young players were able to get considerable minutes in the second half.

Key Teams Stats of the Night

Field Goal Percentage

Boise State - 57.6%

EOU - 34.5%

Three Point Percentage

Boise State - 52.2%

EOU - 26.7%

Rebounds

Boise State - 41

EOU - 23

Stat Leaders

Points

Tyson Degenhart (BSU) - 19 points

Malachi Afework (EOU) - 15 points

Rebounds

Max Rice (BSU) - 9 rebounds

Slade Dill and Riley O’Harra (EOU) - 4 rebounds

Assists

Max Rice (BSU) - 7 assists

Phillip Malatare (EOU) - 2 assists

Story of the Game

Similar to the start of the season, the Broncos started out slow as Wolverines jumped out to a 6-0 lead. Max Rice finally got Boise State on the board, but Eastern Oregon hung around in the first ten minutes of play, holding a two-point lead with 10:26 remaining.

However, Leon Rice’s crew gained some traction and before you knew it, the Broncos were up 20 at halftime thanks to a 30-8 run.

Like nothing happened.

The likes of Kobe Young, Burke Smith, Sadraque NgaNga, and Mohammed Sylla were called upon with roughly 13 minutes to go. They made the most of it as NgaNga scored nine straight points and Sylla scored his first points of the season.

FINAL

BOISE STATE BRONCOS (7-2) 90

EASTERN OREGON WOLVERINES (5-4) 54

BOISE STATE (7-2) AT SAINT LOUIS (7-3)

Location: St. Louis, Missouri (Chaifetz Arena)

Date/Time: Saturday, December 10th at 6:00 p.m. (Mountain Time)

Television: Bally Sports Midwest

Streaming: ESPN +

Radio: KBOI 670 AM

Head-to-Head: Boise State is 0-1 against the Billikens. Their only prior meeting came last year when SLU beat the Broncos at ExtraMile Arena in OT 86-82.

Keys to Watch

1. Can Boise State ignore the difficulties of playing on the road?

• This is the Broncos’ first true road game of the 2022 season.

2. Will Saint Louis be able to overcome the Broncos’ stifling defense?

• Per KenPom, Boise State ranks inside the top-30 in adjusted defensive efficiency, effective field goal percentage, and offensive rebound percentage.

3. Can the Broncos get the ball out of the hands of Billikens guard Yuri Collins?

• The junior ballhandler from St. Louis is averaging over 11 points and 11 assists per game.

Stat Leaders (Averages)

Points

Boise State: Guard Marcus Shaver Jr. - 15.6 Pts.

Saint Louis: Guard Gibson Jimerson - 14.1 Pts.

Rebounds

Boise State: Guard Marcus Shaver Jr. - 7.6 Reb.

Saint Louis: Forward Francis Okoro - 8.8 Reb.

Assists

Boise State: Guard Marcus Shaver Jr. - 4.1 Ast.

Saint Louis: Guard Yuri Collins - 11.1 Ast.

Odds

Via our friends at DraftKings, Saint Louis is currently favored by six and the total is set at 142.

Prediction

This is the toughest non-conference game remaining on the Broncos’ schedule. There are shades of the 2021 Boise State team that started out slow, but steadily built momentum as December rolled on. The loss in Boise last year was a tough one to live with, and I expect the Broncos to get one back.

Final Score

Boise State 83 - Saint Louis 76

What are your thoughts on the Broncos’ performance against Eastern Oregon?

Leave your comments down below.