Boise State hangs on for win over Tulsa; senior guard no longer on Broncos’ roster

Boise State’s free-throw shooting is still technically on life support, but at least the Broncos (mostly) made them when it really counted.

Three days after a dismal performance at the free-throw line cost them a win, the Broncos made 4-of-6 in the final minute to hold off Tulsa, 63-58, in a nonconference matchup Friday night at ExtraMile Arena.

The victory helped the Broncos avoid their first three-game home losing streak since 2012 and ended a rough stretch in which they set a program record for worst shooting percentage (22.4% vs. Cal State Bakersfield) and shot just 46.2% (12 for 26) from the free-throw line in a loss to Saint Louis.

“In that last timeout with about 6:50 to go, we looked each other in the eye like, ‘Let’s go get this done now,’” Boise State coach Leon Rice said. “We did it with great defense.”

Boise State closed the game on a 14-2 run as the Golden Hurricane went 0-for-8 from the floor over the final 3:24.

Redshirt senior Marcus Shaver Jr. put the Broncos ahead for good, 59-58, with his fourth 3-pointer of the game and 2:09 on the clock. Shaver contributed 17 points, including a 4-for-7 performance beyond the arc, to go with eight rebounds, seven assists, one steal and one blocked shot.

Shaver and fellow senior Abu Kigab, who also totaled 17 points and eight boards, then made one free throw each to extend the Broncos’ lead to 61-58 with 36.5 seconds to go.

“Definitely needed a win. I’m proud of our guys,” Kigab said. “They competed. We had a lot of adversity throughout the game, and they just kept fighting, man. It just shows the resolve of this team.”

Tulsa senior Jeriah Horne attempted a 3-pointer on the other end, which failed to draw iron, but the Golden Hurricane collected the offensive rebound and called a timeout with 15.2 seconds left, hoping to get one more look at a game-tying triple.

Tulsa went to Horne again after the timeout, and he appeared to drain a 3-pointer as the shot clock ran out. After a video review, it was determined that Horne’s shot was released after the shot clock had expired, and it was a two-pointer anyway.

The officials put 6.5 seconds back on the clock, and the Golden Hurricane immediately fouled Boise State redshirt junior Max Rice, who made both freebies for the final margin.

“We had to lock down and really focus in on our defense,” Kigab said. “That’s what really got us going on offense. Every time we guard and get out in transition, that’s when we’re at our best.”

One of those transition buckets during the Broncos’ late run brought the ExtraMile Arena crowd to its feet. Emmanuel Akot grabbed a steal and found Kigab for the fastbreak layup while drawing a foul. Akot helped Kigab up after the foul, and both were smiling from ear to ear.

“I think the fans really have a lot to do with it. They bring the energy every night,” Shaver said. “It just feels good to get the dub for them and just keep the momentum going from here.”

The Broncos won despite committing 24 turnovers, which led to 21 Tulsa points. The 24 turnovers are the most by a Boise State team in Rice’s 12 seasons at the helm. Boise State went 8-for-16 from the free-throw line overall, and the Broncos are shooting just 55.6% from the line this season — a mark that ranks 355th out of 358 Division I teams, according to KenPom.com.

The Broncos travel to California to play Cal State Northridge (3-3) at 8 p.m. Mountain time Tuesday at the Matadome. A live stream of the game is available on ESPN+. Boise State then returns to Boise for three straight home games at ExtraMile Arena, beginning with Prairie View A&M (0-8) at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 10.

Senior guard no longer with Broncos

Senior guard Devonaire Doutrive is no longer a member of the Boise State men’s basketball team, a team spokesperson confirmed before the Broncos’ game Friday night.

No explanation for Doutrive’s departure was provided.

“It was an emotional week, and we had the tough overtime loss,” Rice said. “You know, (Devonaire) is always gonna be a Bronco for us. And that’s hard, but that’s what the team needed. And I always have to look out for the team. That’s my job. But it makes for an emotional, tough week for everybody. We’re about our culture and about our team, and so those situations are rough.”

On Tuesday in a home loss to Saint Louis, Doutrive was replaced in the Broncos’ starting lineup by true freshman Tyson Degenhart. Doutrive played 13 minutes and contributed just one point against the Billikens.

Doutrive, a 6-foot-5 transfer from Arizona, was averaging 9.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game this season. He was the top scorer in two of the Broncos’ seven games.

“I’m not gonna speak any ill, or anything bad about Devonaire,” Rice said. “It is what it is.”

Women: Seattle 63, Boise State 61

Boise State’s losing streak reached four games after a nonconference loss to Seattle University on Thursday at ExtraMile Arena.

The Broncos (1-5) led by as many as eight points, 30-22, with 7:18 remaining in the third quarter, and the score was tied at 58 with 59 seconds to play. But the Redhawks (4-3) made 5 of 6 free throws over the final 29 seconds to earn the win.

Boise State’s Kaitlin Burgess nailed a 3-pointer at the buzzer to account for the final margin.

“We need more consistency from everybody,” Boise State coach Gordy Presnell said in a news release. “We will learn from (our mistakes) and get ready for Sunday.”

Elodie Lalotte paced the Broncos, recording her third double-double in the past five games, with career highs for points (14) and rebounds (12). Mary Kay Naro added 14 points and equaled her career high with eight boards, and Abby Muse chipped in 10 points.

The Broncos are back in action Sunday when they host Florida Atlantic (3-4) at 2 p.m. inside ExtraMile Arena.

MEN: BOISE ST. 63, TULSA 58

TULSA (4-4): Horne 6-14 2-2 17, Idowu 2-8 2-2 6, Griffin 6-14 0-0 14, Haywood 3-5 0-0 6, Pritchard 3-8 0-0 6, Jackson 4-6 0-0 9, Konstantynovskyi 0-1 0-0 0, Earley 0-1 0-0 0, Dalger 0-0 0-0 0, Draine 0-0 0-0 0, Embery-Simpson 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 24-58 4-4 58.

BOISE ST. (4-4): Armus 0-0 0-2 0, Degenhart 4-5 1-2 11, Kigab 6-12 4-8 17, Akot 5-11 0-0 12, Shaver 6-11 1-2 17, Rice 0-3 2-2 2, N.Smith 2-3 0-0 4, Kuzmanovic 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-45 8-16 63.

Halftime—Boise St. 27-26. 3-Point Goals—Tulsa 6-19 (Horne 3-8, Griffin 2-8, Jackson 1-1, Haywood 0-2), Boise St. 9-22 (Shaver 4-7, Degenhart 2-3, Akot 2-6, Kigab 1-3, N.Smith 0-1, Rice 0-2). Rebounds—Tulsa 17 (Idowu 6), Boise St. 32 (Kigab, Shaver 8). Assists—Tulsa 12 (Griffin, Pritchard 4), Boise St. 16 (Shaver 7). Total Fouls—Tulsa 17, Boise St. 12. A—6,684 (12,480).

WOMEN: SEATTLE U 63, BOISE ST. 61

SEATTLE U (4-3)

Bree Calhoun 7-18 3-3 18; McKenzi Williams 4-14 0-0 12; Irena Korolenko 3-7 0-0 9; Peyton Howard 2-4 3-4 7; Jadynn Alexander 3-8 0-0 7; Hailey Vice-Neat 1-3 2-2 4; Madeline Phillips 1-3 0-0 3; Courtney Murphy 1-4 0-0 2; Georgia Kehoe 0-1 1-2 1; Barbara Rangel 0-0 0-0 0; Taliyah Clark 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-62 9-11 63.

BOISE ST. (1-5)

Elodie Lalotte 6-11 2-6 14; Mary Kay Naro 4-16 3-4 14; Abby Muse 3-8 4-5 10; Rachel Bowers 3-6 2-2 8; Kaitlin Burgess 2-8 0-0 6; Anna Ostlie 2-8 0-0 6; Dominique Leonidas 1-7 0-0 3; Trista Hull 0-1 0-2 0; Linsey Lovrovich 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-65 11-19 61.

Seattle U..................... 12 7 21 23 — 63

Boise St...................... 13 10 19 19 — 61

3-point goals — Seattle U 10-24 (Williams 4-6; Korolenko 3-6; Calhoun 1-3; Alexander 1-3; Phillips 1-1; Murphy 0-2; Vice-Neat 0-2; Howard 0-1), Boise St. 8-26 (Naro 3-10; Burgess 2-6; Ostlie 2-7; Leonidas 1-3). Fouled out — None. Rebounds — Seattle U 34 (Alexander 6), Boise St. 52 (Lalotte 12). Assists — Seattle U 9 (Calhoun 4), Boise St. 18 (Ostlie 4; Leonidas 4; Muse 4). Total fouls — Seattle U 16, Boise St. 14. Technical fouls — None. A — 427.