The Broncos (25-10) shot 50 percent in the second half and scored 57 points. Limiting the Revolutionaries (21-13) to 20 field goals, Boise State captured its fifth 30-point victory of the season.
Tyson Degenhart paced all players with a game-high 19 points. He shot 8-for-12 from the floor, added four rebounds and tied his career high with three steals.
Pearson Carmichael and Andrew Meadow each totaled 15 points. Carmichael collected a career-high six steals and became just the sixth Mountain West freshman to accomplish the feat in a single game.
Off the bench, Javan Buchanan and Julian Bowie combined for 21 points. Buchanan had 11 points and five rebounds while Bowie added 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting.
Trey Autry led the way for George Washington, registering a team-high 16 points. Rafael Castro and Ty Bevins each pitched in with 11.
Both teams struggled offensively at the outset, scoring just seven points in the opening four minutes. The Broncos shot 1-of-5 to start the game and trailed by three upon reaching the first media timeout.
After totaling just three points in eight minutes, Boise State found a rhythm on three consecutive offensive possessions. The team used a quick 7-0 spurt to capture their first lead of the evening at the 10:18 mark.
With 3:22 left to play in the period, Boise State raced out to its largest lead of the half. Buchanan, in transition, nabbed his third field goal of the game to give the Broncos a 26-19 lead.
To cap the opening 20 minutes, Buchanan scored on a layup as time expired. He scored eight points in the half to lead all scorers.
Collectively, Boise State shot just 23 percent from the floor and 3-for-13 from beyond the arc. The team, however, scored 16 points over the final 6:22 and led by six at the intermission.
To start the second half, the Broncos tallied the first five points. Carmichael and Meadow notched back-to-back buckets to up the team’s lead to 11.
George Washington responded by scoring 11 of the next 15 points to trim the deficit to four. The Revolutionaries pulled to within three, but that’s as close as they would get.
The Broncos promptly responded with an 8-0 run to thrust the lead back to double figures. In front for the entire second half, Boise State’s largest lead of the afternoon was 30.
For the game, the Broncos shot 50 percent and made 23-of-38 field goal attempts in the second half. The 57 points are the most the team has scored in any half this season.
With the win, Boise State advances to the quarterfinal round of the Crown tournament and will play Butler on Wednesday. Airing live on FS1, tip-off is slated for 5 p.m. MT.
Notables:
Boise State captured its first win against George Washington in program history and improved to 25-10 this season.
The Broncos collected their sixth neutral-site victory of the year, signifying the most such victories in a single season.
Boise State tied the program record with 16 steals against the Revolutionaries. The Broncos had 16 against Utah Valley State on Nov. 9, 2007.
Scoring 57 points in the second half, the Broncos have four, 50-point halves this season.
Boise State nabbed its 16th double-digit win of the year, including their fifth by 30 or more points.
The Broncos have scored 80 or more points in 14 games this year.
Boise State forced a season-high 22 turnovers. The last time the team had that many takeaways was against College of Idaho (23) on Dec. 4, 2020.
For the 10th time this season, the Broncos held an opponent to 20 or fewer field goals. That number ranks second in the Mountain West this season, trailing only San Diego State (14).
Tyson Degenhart scored 19 points and has scored in double figures in 107 games in his career.
Degenhart is 10 points away from reaching 2,000 career points.
For the 34th time this season, Alvaro Cardenas led the team in assists. He collected six dimes and 615 in his career.
Pearson Carmichael recorded a career-high six steals. He is just the fifth Bronco to record at least six steals in a game and first since Derrick Marks (Dec. 2, 2012 at Seattle).
Carmichael is the fourth freshman in Mountain West history to record at least 15 points and six steals in a game.
