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The Boise State Broncos improved their record to 14-6 and 4-3 in Mountain West play today as they defeated the Air Force Falcons, 77-68. This was no easy win for the Bronco's as they were trailing 31-30 at halftime.
As the second half rolled around standout guard Derrick Marks started the Bronco run with a bang. After notching the first shot attempt of the half from beyond the arc, Boise State never looked back. Marks finished the game with 28 points and added six assists and five rebounds. Also stepping up for Boise was forward Nick Duncan as he was money from long range banging six three's and ending with a career high 20 points. Boise State did very well from three-point range, going 14-22.
This is a win that the selection committee will be looking at positively for Boise State, but any win in conference play always helps teams on the bubble. The next match up for Boise will be on January 27 when they will welcome the Colorado State Rams into Taco Bell Arena. This is a very big game for the Mountain West Conference between teams that are currently probably sitting on the outside looking in tournament wise. A Colorado State win will probably move them inside the field while Boise needs to go on a little bit of a run here.
As for the Falcons, everything is falling apart. Losing seven of their last eight games, Air Force is the conference bottom dweller. Marek Olesinski showed up in a game that was very winnable for the Falcons. He finished with a double-double and led his team in scoring and rebounding, scoring twenty four points and grabbing 10 boards.
One positive so far this year for Falcon fans is that Air Force ranks in the top 30 in two offensive categories. They currently sit 28th in field goal percentage and 24th in assists per game. Next match up for Air Force will be with fellow bottom dweller San Jose State on Wednesday January 28, and many of you already know my feeling towards that team. This will be a great chance for Air Force to grab their second conference win and improve to an overall record of 9-11, which doesn't seem so bad looking at their recent struggles.