Final BSU 85 GCU 80
GCU put the fear in the Broncos for 36:09 of the game. The 9:11 of the game that Boise State lead is what mattered.
The first half can only be described as “pretty not great”. The Broncos shot just 10% from beyond the arc, the lone basket from Hutchison. BSU was 10-24 (41.7%) from field goal range with Hutchison leading the way with 9, followed by Hobbs with 6. GCU, meanwhile, was 4-11 (36.4%) from 3 and were winning the rebound battle. The Broncos failed to lead at any point in the half. GCU’s Vernon and Lever both lead the way with 7 points each with Vernon contributing 6.
Hutchison came alive in the second half, emphasized by a resounding dunk, followed by a free throw to tie it. BSU took it’s first of the night off a Hutchison layup with 11:09 remaining. The not-so-great 3-point shooting continued into the second half. GCU’s Blumbergs (snicker) fouled out with 2 minutes left and the Broncos down 59-55. Hutchison reached double-double status late in the second with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Lexus Williams comes in clutch, yet again, with a 3-pointer to tie it with 2 seconds left to force overtime.
Jessup opens up overtime play with a jumper to give the Broncos a 65-63 lead. Both teams proceeded to miss shots and steal back and forth. Jessup then hit a 3 himself to push the lead to 68-63, but GCU answered back with one of their own. Most of GSU had 3 fouls at this point while Haney and Hutch were at 3 for the Broncos. With 29 seconds left, the Broncos lead 69-68, but a foul by Williams gave the ball back to the Antelopes, who tie it up. A 7th turnover by Hutch results in a last minute 3-point shot by GCU, but it comes up short. Overtime #1 ends at 69-69...
Jessup gets loose on the break and knocks it down!!
— Boise State MBB (@BroncoSportsMBB) December 14, 2017
Broncos lead 69-66 with 2:19 left in OT. #BleedBlue pic.twitter.com/su1ipUsqBW
Overtime #2, coming up.
Sengfelder put down the first points of overtime #2, giving the Broncos a 71-69 lead. Lots of back and forth scoring and missing and with 2:16 left, the Broncos lead 79-72 on 2 crucial Williams free throws. With a minute left, Jessup sank a jumper, giving the Broncos an 82-75 lead, but Carr followed it up with a 3-pointer. Benson picked up his 5th foul, ending with 16 points and 7 rebounds, tops for the Lopes. Dickinson fouls, sending GCU to the line, making both. 80-83 with 39 seconds left.
TOO. STRONG.
— Boise State MBB (@BroncoSportsMBB) December 14, 2017
Hutch powers his way to the basket on the break and gives Boise State the 77-72 lead with 2:23 to play. #BleedBlue pic.twitter.com/h7FHUHqIFg
The Broncos endured.
FINAL | Boise State finds a way in double overtime!! @smooveLex the hero once again with the game-tying three in regulation! #BleedBlue pic.twitter.com/4YiBB6BBeP
— Boise State MBB (@BroncoSportsMBB) December 14, 2017
Hutchison finished 10-23 for 27 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists. Jessup had 18 while Sengfelder and Williams both had 12. The Broncos finished 28-59 (47%) from field goal range and improved from 3, finishing 5-24 (21%) from 3. GCU had 79 total shots to the Broncos 59. The Lopes were 79% from free throw, while the Broncos were 65%. Rebounds were fairly even with GCU at 46 and BSU at 45. A big difference was the 2nd chance points, where GCU had 19 to the Broncos 3.
A solid, late effort from the Broncos resulted in the win and moving to 10-1, 7-0 at home. The Broncos travel to the 8-3 SMU Mustangs next Monaday. SMU is undefeated at home this season, including a 66-60 win against then #2 ranked Arizona as well as a 72-55 drubbing of #20 USC. GO BRONCOS!