Idaho brings a broom

Well, Idaho did it so without further babbling:

Idaho rallies to beat BSU, complete season sweep
Nick Jezierny
Idaho Statesman
2/19/09

Call it good defense or bad offense - it was probably a combination of both.

But the bottom line is what happened in the final 9 minutes of Wednesday night's men's basketball game between Boise State and Idaho allowed the Vandals to rally for an improbable 56-54 win in front of 10,246 fans at Taco Bell Arena on Marvin Jefferson's basket with 4.3 seconds left.

Boise State (17-8 overall, 7-5 WAC), which started the game on a 15-2 tear, made only one field goal in the final 9 minutes, allowing the Vandals (12-13, 6-6) to sweep the season series against their in-state rival for the first time since the 1998-99 season.

"To beat an instate rival on the road, in that kind of basketball game in this kind of atmosphere, it's as big as it gets for the University of Idaho," first-year Vandal coach Don Verlin said.

And it doesn't get any more disappointing for the Broncos, who were playing in front of their largest home crowd of the season...

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Here's Travis Mason-Bushman of Vandal Nation:

Our final score IN AN ABSOLUTE THRILLER, Idaho Vandals 56, Boise State Broncos 54. We’ll have a complete game report in the morning - until then, please check the liveblog archive for a play-by-play game account!

9:30 p.m. Mountain: I’m sitting on the student bus using BSU’s Wi-Fi until we leave, so these will be quick thoughts… Marvin Jefferson had an absolute career night. He was clutch all-around, sinking free throws, making huge blocks and scoring the game-winning bucket with 4 seconds left. He stayed out of foul trouble, again - he has turned a corner and the Vandals are better for it.

3 a.m. Pacific: I’m back in Moscow, with a few more thoughts.

The Vandals looked desperately lost in the first five minutes, and the game was looking for all the world like the same offensive collapse that doomed them in Honolulu. The scoreboard read 15-2 in favor of Boise State and Idaho was shooting 1-for-10 from the field. The Broncos seemed to be able to drain 3-pointers at will (led by Paul Noonan’s precision shooting), and they were having their way on the boards as well...

Go here for the remainder and here for his update.

Brian Murphy checks in about the disappointment permeating Boise:

Daily Debate: Bronco men squander a big opportunity
Brian Murphy
Idaho Statesman
2/19/09

Boise State sucked the air out of the ball, the noise out of Taco Bell Arena and the steam out of their budding fan base in the second half Wednesday night.

The Broncos did it by standing around. And standing around. And standing around.

Seemingly every second-half possession for the Broncos became an agonizing routine - pass the ball around the perimeter while the shot clock dwindled down, then have someone try to go one-on-one against the rival Idaho's defense.

Boise State gave away 25 seconds on each possession. A team that loves to push the tempo and play in transition allowed itself to be dragged into a back-alley brawl, a grind-it-out game that clearly favored the visitors...

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