BOISE, Idaho — THIS DAY IN SPORTS…March 2, 2013, 10 years ago today:
Boise State sells out Taco Bell Arena for its first “black-out,” and the Broncos respond in their black uniforms with a crucial 78-65 win over Colorado State, their 20th victory of the season. The game featured one of the great scoring performances in Boise State history, as guard Derrick Marks put up a staggering 33 points in the second half and 38 for the night. The win over the Rams, who were No. 17 in RPI ratings going into the game, boosted the Broncos’ hopes of a first-ever at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament (which they did indeed earn).
Marks was as unstoppable as any Bronco has ever been. He was layin’ in the weeds until the stars aligned for him to go off again. In his previous three games, Marks had scored just 22 points combined. Yet nobody doubted the effect he had in wins over Air Force, Fresno State and Nevada. Marks was dishing off in those contests — 24 assists combined — and was playing a great floor game. He had three assists against Colorado State, but down the stretch against the Rams, his teammates were like, “What are you giving me the ball for?!”
It was almost five years before Chandler Hutchison’s school-record 44 points against San Diego State in 2018. But Mark’s performance had everybody heading for the record books. At that time, Marks’ 38 points was the fifth-best total ever at Boise State. He came tantalizingly close to the first 40-point game for the Broncos in 34 years. Marks’ big night did go down as the best at Boise State in 20 years, since school career scoring leader Tanoka Beard put up 39 in 1993 against Eastern Washington. And Marks was only a sophomore. In November of 2013, he’s put up a career-high 39 points in a win over Idaho in what is now Idaho Central Arena in downtown Boise. Marks is the Broncos’ fourth-leading career scorer.
That atmosphere in this game wasn’t quite like Boise State’s epic night on Tuesday versus San Diego State, but it was close. The official attendance was less at 11,238, but that was turnstile count. Another facet of that game bore a resemblance to the takedown of the Aztecs: rebounding. Colorado State came in as the national leader in rebound margin, and the Broncos had a 31-30 advantage on the glass. Small, but then again, huge. UNLV had been the only other team to top the Rams on the glass in 29 games that season.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra. He also anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK and one on News/Talk KBOI. His Scott Slant column runs every Wednesday.)
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