Boise State’s first real stress test of the season came with a barrage of threes and a comfortable final margin.
The Broncos lit up ExtraMile Arena on Sunday, knocking down 17 triples and pulling away for a 100-81 non-conference win over Butler after building a 20-point halftime cushion. Boise State (2-0) stretched the lead to as many as 26 in the second half before the Bulldogs made a few pushes, cutting the gap to 11 three separate times, but never getting close enough to flip the game.
Boise State shot 17 of 35 from deep and finished 36 of 79 overall. That 49 percent clip from long range was the difference in a game that turned into a showcase for the Broncos’ shot-making and shot creation.
Aginaldo Neto was the headliner with 25 points, six rebounds, five assists, three steals and a block. Spencer Ahrens added 24 points and five rebounds, while Dovydas Butka turned in 14 points, 14 rebounds and three assists. Pearson Carmichael also chipped in 14 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
“We’ve got some guys that can go by you,” Rice said. “You’ve got to have guys that can create an advantage, and it starts with (Neto).”
Leon Rice said he came into the game with plenty of respect for Butler after studying the Bulldogs on film, and he pointed to Boise State’s ability to convert open looks as a major reason the Broncos controlled the night.
“The way they played in the first two games, the way they moved the ball and the way they attacked, we knew we were going to have to play really good,” Rice said in his postgame radio interview. “And you’ve got to make shots.
In a game like that, you’ve got to make some shots. We got some good looks and we made more than they did.”
Butler (2-1) got 19 points apiece from Eduardo Klafke and Jalen Jackson, but the Bulldogs couldn’t find their usual rhythm from outside. After matching a program record with 20 made three-pointers in Wednesday’s blowout of Fairleigh Dickinson, Butler went just 8 of 36 from beyond the arc against Boise State.
Rice also said the Broncos saw a pattern in how Butler created some of its best chances.
“They get a ton of their good looks off offensive rebounds,” Rice said. “I bet if we go back, we’re going to see … two or three of them where they got an offensive rebound, or we didn’t get the rebound. You take those away, now we hold them to five threes.”
Boise State is back at home Wednesday for another non-conference game, this one against Oakland. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. Mountain time at ExtraMile Arena.
Oakland enters at 0-3 after losses to Michigan, Stanford and UC Santa Barbara. The Broncos opened last season with an 87-43 win over the Golden Grizzlies.
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