Ian Martinez's late 4-point play lifts No. 25 Utah State over Boise State

Field Level Media|published: Sat 11th January, 23:47 2025

Mar 20, 2024; Dayton, OH, USA; Boise State Broncos head coach Leon Rice leaves the court after being defeated by the Colorado Buffaloes at UD Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Ian Martinez completed a go-ahead four-point play with 7.3 seconds left, helping No. 25 Utah State earn an 81-79 win over Boise State in Logan, Utah, in Mountain West Conference play on Saturday.

Martinez led the Aggies (16-1, 6-0 MWC) with 18 points, while Deyton Albury scored 14. Drake Allen added 13 points, followed by Dexter Akanno's 12 and Mason Falslev's 10. Utah State, which won its sixth straight game, shot 61.2 percent from the field and made 11 of its 21 3-point attempts (52.4 percent).

Tyson Degenhart's 22 points paced Boise State (12-5, 4-2 MWC). Alvaro Cardenas had 15 points and eight assists, while Javan Buchanan chipped in 13 and Andrew Meadow scored 12. The Broncos dropped their second game in two tries following a five-game winning streak.

Leading by four at halftime, Boise State grew its advantage to 13 after Cardenas' layup stamped a 9-0 Broncos run to start the second half. After Julian Bowie's 3-pointer gave Boise State a 53-41 lead, Falslev's mid-range jumper began a 6-0 Aggies spurt.

With 10:32 left, Meadow drained a 3-pointer that extended the Broncos' lead to 60-54, but Akanno's personal 5-0 run trimmed Utah State's deficit to one at the 9:25 mark.

Buchanan then scored four in a row for the Broncos, but Templin's free throws jumpstarted a 6-0 Aggies run, giving Utah State its first lead since early in the first half.

Trailing 72-70 with 4:15 left, Meadow, Buchanan and Degenhart each made layups, giving Boise State a 76-72 lead with 1:41 remaining. After a Utah State timeout, Martinez connected on a 3-pointer on the Aggies' ensuing possession.

After Cardenas missed a pair of free throws, Utah State regained the lead on Allen's layup with 30 seconds left. Cardenas then redeemed himself with a 3-pointer with 13 seconds left before Martinez's game-winner.

Neither team led by more than three points until Cardenas' mid-range jumper, followed by Pearson Carmichael's 3-pointer, gave the Broncos a 27-21 advantage with 7:14 left in the first half.

Chris Lockett Jr.'s 3-pointer put the Broncos ahead 35-30 before Templin's ensuing dunk. Degenhart then hit a triple, but Templin's layup with 31 seconds left cut Boise State's halftime-lead to 38-34.

--Field Level Media

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