Great escape: Broncos rally to slip past Falcons in Colorado Springs

Final: Boise State 70, Air Force 64

First half

Dear God. That was bad. The Broncos committed 11 turnovers in the first stanza, allowing the Falcons to lead for over 12 minutes of the half. The Broncos hit five 3-pointers and were +11 in rebounding, but the aforementioned turnovers—leading to 11 Air Force points killed any chance at momentum for the blue and orange. Hutchison also got off to a slow start in the first half, with just 5 points in 16 minutes. Hutchison also picked up 2 fouls in the first half yet the Broncos somehow were able to stanch the bleeding to take a 4 point lead (29-25) into the half. I can only assume Leon Rice’s halftime speech was “lively”. How lively?

Second half

Welllll. Lexus Williams nailed a 3-pointer to start the second half and balloon the Bronco lead to 7 before Air Force went on a 9-0 run to retake the lead. That kind of game, eh? Exactly. Every single Bronco run was met by the same from the Falcons in the second half. Still, Boise State was able to hold the lead for about 17 minutes of final set despite a massive disparity in free throws (Air Force shot 23, the Broncos just 12). The story of the game came down to turnovers (the Broncos committed 15 on the night), free throws, and the Broncos weathering a uncharacteristic outing from their star, Chandler Hutchison to still come away with a hard-fought road win. By the way, Hutchison rebounded (no pun intended) from his slow start to match the game-high for the Broncos with 16 points, but he committed 6 of the Broncos 15 turnovers and looked a tad off his game tonight. The Broncos hit twelve 3-pointers, got 16 and 12 from Lexus Williams and Justinian Jessup, respectively, and held on for their 18th win of the season.

Rough outing...but favorable outcome. Go figure.

Here are your final stats for the night: