BOISE, Idaho — Tyson Degenhart's 19 points helped Boise State defeat Utah State 82-59 on Saturday night in front of a packed house at ExtraMile Arena.
Degenhart had 10 rebounds for the Broncos (12-4, 2-1 Mountain West). Max Rice scored 14 points and added five rebounds and five assists. Chibuzo Agbo shot 4 for 9, including 1 for 3 from beyond the arc to finish with 11 points.
"It feels good to get a win like that," Degenhart said. "It came against a good team that provided us a lot of challenges, especially with the way they shoot the three. Great crowd today, shout out to them they really packed The X and we appreciate them for that."
The Aggies (13-3, 2-1) were led in scoring by Taylor Funk, who finished with 14 points. Sean Bairstow added 10 points for Utah State. Max Shulga also had nine points and six rebounds.
Boise State took the lead with 16:58 left in the first half and did not relinquish it. Degenhart led the Broncos in scoring with 13 points in the first half to help put them up 45-30 at the break.
Boise State outscored Utah State in the second half by eight points, with Rice scoring a team-high eight points after halftime.
Boise State's bench contributed 18 points in the Mountain West victory, with Jace Whiting (8), Kobe Young (6) and Lukas Milner (4) getting on the scoring column.
The Aggies entered Saturday at No. 20 in the latest NET rankings, meaning the Broncos' 23-point win gives them a much-needed Quad 1 victory for their resume.
"That was a really good team we beat today and we had to play a great game to beat them," head coach Leon Rice said. "Our guys showed up and executed what they needed to execute and were dialed in. I was really proud of them."
Saturday's game was declared a sellout in the City of Trees, the Broncos' first sellout since last year's contest against Nevada. The announced attendance of 12,007 was the ninth-largest in Boise State men's basketball history.
"I feel like those types of games are why you play college basketball," Max Rice said. "A sold-out arena against a Quad-1 team where both teams are super competitive, it was a fun and competitive game the whole way."
Boise State plays UNLV on the road on Wednesday, and Utah State hosts Wyoming on Tuesday.
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