BOISE, Idaho — Max Rice's 29 points helped Boise State defeat Nevada 77-62 on Tuesday night.
Rice also contributed five rebounds for the Broncos (15-4, 5-1 Mountain West Conference). Tyson Degenhart scored 15 points while going 6 of 9 and 3 of 5 from the free-throw line and adding six rebounds. Twelve of Degenhart's points came in the second half.
Naje Smith recorded 12 points.
Boise State took the lead with 11:31 left in the first half and did not give it up. Before the intermission, Rice had a team-high 21 points. The Broncos held a 42-36 lead at halftime, then pulled away with an 11-0 run early in the second half. They outscored Nevada by nine points in the final half.
"My teammates did a good job of finding me after I'd hit a couple and I just started stringing them together," Max Rice said. "Once you hit a couple I think the basket is a lot bigger for you, so credit to my teammates for finding me. It was a huge win for us."
Jarod Lucas finished with 15 points for the Wolf Pack (15-5, 5-2). Kenan Blackshear and Will Baker had 12 points apiece.
"We beat a very good team tonight," said Boise State head coach Leon Rice. "I'm proud of our guys. This league is a grind, and we came with it tonight. We had great intensity for 40 minutes and beat a very good team."
With Tuesday's victory at ExtraMile Arena, Boise State extends its winning streak to five games. It also lifted the Broncos at the top of the Mountain West conference standings.
"We didn't start conference play the way we wanted to against Nevada, but we clawed our way back and now we're tied for first," Degenhart said. "We just have to keep improving day by day so we can hold up that trophy at the end of the season."
Next up for the Boise State men is a road trip to New Mexico. The Broncos take on the Lobos Friday at 9 p.m. MST in Albuquerque. The game will be televised on FS 1.
Nevada will play New Mexico on Monday in Reno.
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