‘He’s a machine.’ Boise State sophomore has breakout game in win over Clemson

BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — When sophomore forward Andrew Meadow catches the basketball, Boise State coach Leon Rice has gotten in the habit of saying, “Yes, yes, yes.”

Rice wants the 6-foot-7 sharpshooter from Santa Clarita, California, to always be looking for his shot. Meadow obliged Sunday afternoon, scoring a career-high 18 points as the Broncos took down Clemson 84-71 in a nonconference matchup at ExtraMile Arena.

“Everyone on the team wants me to shoot,” Meadow said. “If I have even the slightest of an open look and I don’t shoot it, the coaches and everyone gets mad. So just (for them) to have that much confidence in me really makes me feel open and free out there.”

Over the final 3:59 of Sunday’s game, Meadow helped close the door on the Tigers (3-1), scoring 10 of Boise State’s final 16 points, including a 3-pointer with 49 seconds left and a 7-for-7 performance from the free-throw line.

He also matched his career-best with nine rebounds and knocked down 3-of-8 from beyond the arc.

“When you see one go in, you’ve got to find a way to get the ball,” Boise State senior forward Tyson Degenhart said. “We did a good job down the stretch of getting him the ball, especially when he was making them. To have a guy on our team like this is special. Special player, special person.”

Added Rice: “He’s a machine when he gets that confidence in shooting that ball. There’s not many in the country that can do it like him.”

After losing to Clemson 85-68 last season in Clemson, South Carolina, the Broncos (3-1) returned the favor in the second game of the home-and-home series. But it took a bit for the announced crowd of 11,275 to find a reason to cheer.

Boise State fell behind 9-2 in the opening minutes as the Broncos committed four turnovers in the early going against a Clemson team that advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament last season.

“This wasn’t a game where we could tip toe, like coach said, into a street fight,” Degenhart said. “… It was going to be physical the whole game.”

While the Broncos missed their first three shots, they emerged from the first media timeout with 15:38 on the clock and seemed to settle in. Boise State scored 10 unanswered points, turning a 9-2 deficit into a 12-9 lead with 13:42 to play in the first half.

Degenhart helped spearhead the run, sinking a 3-pointer and then scoring on a putback before drawing a charge on the defensive end.

Senior forward O’Mar Stanley kept the streak going when he blew past his defender on the baseline, converting on a layup while getting fouled. Stanley made the free throw, and senior guard Alvaro Cardenas blocked the shot of Clemson’s Del Jones on the other end as ExtraMile Arena fans erupted.

“That’s a hell of a team we just beat, and a team that will play in the NCAA Tournament, a team that will be in contention for a league title,” Rice said. “… For our young guys and inexperienced guys to handle it and grow up like that, that’s a great sign. It gets you excited as a coach.”

Degenhart — the Mountain West’s Preseason Player of the Year — paced the Broncos with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Stanley added 13 points and Alvaro Cardenas had eight points and a team-leading six assists. The Boise State bench contributed 21 points led by junior forward Javan Buchanan with eight.

Boise State will have the week off before returning to action at the Cayman Islands Classic, which runs Nov. 24-26. The Broncos open the tournament against Hampton at 9 a.m. Mountain time next Sunday.