Boise State Prevails in Exhibition with Eagles
BOISE, Idaho - The Boise State Broncos' Paris Austin and James Webb III combined for 35 points as BSU defeated Northwest University, 79-55, in an exhibition game tonight in Taco Bell Arena.
The Eagles got off to a sow start with BSU taking a 15-0 lead to start the game aided y six NU turnovers and 0-2 shooting. Tomas Ogbaslassie broke the ice for NU at the 14:56 mark with two free throws, Ben Tucakovic came off the bench to sink a 3-point shot and Zach Smith would get to the basket for two more to make it a 15-7 game. BSU would take advantage of the Eagles' cold shooting and build a 45-26 lead at the half.
NU would not be able to make up any ground in the second half but would lose the second period to the Broncos by a narrow, 34-29, margin.
Austin scored a game high 18 points while Webb scored 17 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for the double-double.
Tomas Ogbaslassie, Dak Shagren and Ben Tucakovic led Northwest U with 12 points each with Zach Smith adding 10 points for the Eagles. NU shot 35 percent for the night and managed 17 percent (4-24) from beyond the 3-point line.
Boise State hit 46 percent of their shots and held a commanding 50-30 margin in rebounding over NU.
"Despite the loss, I am pleased with our effort tonight," said John Van Dyke, Eagle head coach. "I was proud of the way our team competed and never quit. We played a much better second half and our slow start in the first half made it difficult for us to make up any ground. All in all, a positive experience for our team in competing with a solid NCAA Division I team in Boise State."