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Logan • Utah State coach Tim Duryea went with a lineup that was smaller than the one he's used most of the season Wednesday night against Boise State. In the end, it made a big difference.
Trying to hold a narrow lead against the Aggies, Boise missed seven free throws in the final 2:18. The Broncos rebounded four of those misses, however, and turned them into six points.
Game, set and match.
Chandler Hutchison scored 21 points and Nick Duncan added 18 as Boise State disappointed a crowd of 7,227 and escaped the Spectrum with an 83-80 victory over Utah State.
It was the Mountain West Conference opener for both teams.
Senior forward Jalen Moore scored a career-high 24 points to lead the Aggies, who owned a 61-58 lead with five minutes left. Boise State used an 11-0 run to build a 69-61 advantage before outmuscling Utah State down the stretch.
The Aggies' final chance disappeared after Koby McEwen's three-point play with 3.4 seconds left narrowed the Broncos' lead to 82-80.
Utah State fouled Justinian Jessup, who missed the second of two free throws. Duncan got inside Alexis Dargenton and Moore for the rebound and tossed the ball into the air as time expired.
Boise State gained an extra possession after three other missed free throws, which left Duryea shaking his head.
"Obviously a frustrating finish," he said. "Probably one of the most frustrating things I've ever seen in a college basketball game."
According to Moore, Utah State lost a couple of rebounds because of "bad bounces. … But we're supposed to get rebounds like that at the free-throw line."
"We played hard … but it got away from us at the end. A few rebounds were crucial and they got away from us. That's something we're going to have to fix," said Dargenton.
Seeking its fourth win in the last five games, Utah State started quickly against the Broncos. The Aggies grabbed a 17-12 lead before Hutchison started getting to the rim. He scored 14 points in the final 9:46 of the half and Boise grabbed a 39-33 lead.
The score was 44-35 before Utah State attempted a rally.
Shane Rector scored eight points during a 20-9 run that lifted the Aggies into a 55-all tie. Utah State went scoreless for almost four minutes and hurt itself when Boise rebounded missed free throws.
"Back-and-forth game," said Moore, who reached double figures for the 25th straight game. "Both teams played hard. But, obviously, everybody saw the end. The rebounds on those free throws killed us. … Just a tough way to lose a game."
"We just need a little more of a closer mentality," said Duryea.
Utah State slipped to 6-6 on the season. Boise State won its third straight game and improved to 8-4.
Twitter:@sluhm —
Storylines
R Junior Chandler Hutchison scores 21 points to lead Boise State.
• Jalen Moore leads the Aggies with a career-high 24 points, including 9-for-9 from the foul line.
• Utah State plays its first Mountain West road game at Air Force on Saturday afternoon.