Boise State survived today, 83-82, against South Dakota State, in the semi-finals of the Cayman Island Classic. The Broncos were led by newcomers Javan Buchanan (28 points) and Alvaro Cardenas (16 points and 7 assists). SDSU missed the second of two free throws with 1.1 seconds left to give the Broncos the win.
One thing is clear after a game like this: The Broncos do not lack firepower. If someone had told you that Tyson Degenhart would only finish with 11 points and O’Mar Stanley would be plagued with foul trouble you would have thought Boise State would have lost and maybe even lost big. In the words of Lee Corso “Not so fast my friend”.
The new transfers showed why Leon Rice was so high on these players to start the year. Cardenas kept the offense on track early in the first half, with his playmaking and shot-making. Julian Bowie also made his mark, finishing the first half with a perfect 3-3 from the field. He would finish 4-4.
In the second half, it was all Javan Buchanan, who led all scoring with 28 points; 17 of those coming in the second half.
No matter what the Broncos did on offense, the Jackrabbits had an answer on the other end. The largest lead the Broncos had was 9 points, which only lasted a minute or two. In the end, the Broncos had just enough to squeeze by a great SDSU team, which will likely be once again competing to make it to the Big Dance.
When I wrote the game recap for the first game of this tournament, I said I was excited to see how Bowie and Buchanan would make a mark on this team. I didn’t expect it to be the very next game. I would expect Leon Rice to have some tough lineup decisions in the future if one or both of these players keep playing at this level. If this team can bring back the defense of last year, paired with the offense it has already shown this season, the sky’s the limit. The Broncos look to lift their first tournament hardware tomorrow night.
Player of the game: Javan Buchanan 28 points
Bench player of the game: Julian Bowie: 13 points, 100% from the field
