Senior guard Ian Martinez scored the game-tying layup with one second remaining in regulation and No. 18 Utah State made 10 of 11 free throws in overtime to post a 90-84 road win against Boise State on Saturday inside sold-out ExtraMile Arena.
For Utah State (18-2, 6-1 MW), it was its first win at Boise State (14-6, 5-2 MW) since 2019, which was also an overtime victory. With the win, USU now has sole possession of first place in the Mountain West after being picked to finish ninth in the conference’s preseason polls.
Utah State, once again, found a way to win on the road when trailing in the final seconds as this time it trailed by three points at 75-72 win 10 seconds to play. Junior guard Josh Uduje hit a baseline jumper to cut the deficit to one and Boise State’s O’Mar Stanley went 1 for 2 at the free throw line, missing the second with seven seconds to play. Sophomore center Isaac Johnson secured the rebound and passed it to Martinez, who went the length of the floor to tie the game.
Utah State took that momentum into overtime and began the extra period on an 8-1 run to take an 84-77 lead with 1:29 to play. The Broncos got within two points at 84-82 following a 3-pointer from Tyson Degenhart with 34 seconds to play, but USU made six straight free throws done the stretch for the win.
Five Aggies scored in double-digits as graduate senior Darius Brown II had 19 points and five assists, while Martinez and Uduje both scored 18 points. Junior wing Great Osobor posted his 10th double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds, to go along with a career-high seven assists, while Johnson 13 points and 11 rebounds for his first-career double-double.
Uduje was a perfect 6-for-6 from the field, including 1-of-1 from 3-point range, and made all five of his free throws.
In the first half, Utah State jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead in the first two minutes. Midway through the half, Boise State took its first lead of the game at 22-21 off the back of an 11-2 run. The Broncos would lead by as many as five points before USU tied the game at 29-29 with a five-point surge. In the final five minutes of the half, both sides traded buckets before Boise State took a 39-37 lead off a layup on its last possession.
After a pair of Osobor free throws to start the second half, the Broncos launched a 7-0 run to build a 46-39 lead. The Aggies responded with an 11-1 run over the next five minutes to gain a 50-47 advantage. Midway through the half, BSU retook the lead on an 8-0 run to make the score 59-54 at the 7:55 mark. From there, the game would see six ties and four lead changes until the end of regulation.
For the game, Utah State shot 48.3 percent (29-60) from the field, 26.1 percent (6-of-23) from downtown and 83.9 percent (26-of-31) at the charity stripe.
Boise State was paced by Degenhart’s 24 points. BSU shot 40.0 percent (26 of 65) from the field, 32.1 percent (9 of -28) from the perimeter and 74.2 percent (23-of-31) at the free-throw line.
After shooting 48.3 percent (14-of-29) in the first half, Utah State’s defense held the Broncos to just 38.5 percent (10-of-26) shooting in the second half, and just 2-of-10 shooting in overtime, including 1-of-6 from 3-point range. USU, on the other hand, shot 57.7 percent (15-of-26) in the second half.
The Aggies return home on Tuesday to host San Jose State at 7 p.m. at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. The game will be televised on KMYU and streamed on the Mountain West Network.