BOISE, Idaho — This Day In Sports…February 3, 2015:
After going 0-18 all-time in Logan, Utah, Boise State gets its first-ever road victory over Utah State. The Broncos led by five points at the break despite star guard Derrick Marks, the Mountain West’s leading scorer, having to spend the final 14 minutes of the first half on the bench with foul trouble. Marks came back in and scored 17 of his 23 points in the second half, including a stunning 35-foot three-pointer that turned the game in a 68-63 Boise State victory. It was the Broncos’ last matchup against legendary Utah State coach Stew Morrill, who retired at the end of the season.
Boise State had already picked up its first victory ever at New Mexico’s Pit that season. The Broncos would go on to complete their “quadfecta” of road breakthroughs, with first-ever victories at UNLV and San Diego State later in February. Interestingly enough, they’ve already won this year at three of the four destinations, with UNLV still to come.
As for Marks, he was the catalyst that season, the last one that ended with the Broncos in the NCAA Tournament. He averaged 19.4 points per game, the sixth-best mark in school history, and was named Mountain West Player of the Year, the only Bronco ever to capture that honor. And he finished with 1,912 career points, fourth all-time at Boise State. Marks never scored 40 points in a game, but he tallied 30 or more 10 times, a Boise State record. His career-high was 39 against Idaho during his junior year. Marks is still playing pro hoops overseas—now for BC Balkan Botevgrad of the Bulgarian National Basketball League.
(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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