FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Justinian Jessup tossed in 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting and Boise State held off Colorado State 70-68 on Tuesday night.
Jessup added six assists, five rebounds and two blocked shots for the Broncos (10-11, 5-3 Mountain West Conference), who beat the Rams (8-13, 3-5) for a fifth straight time, including three straight on CSU’s home floor. Alex Hobbs added 17 points and four assists. Derrick Alston and Marcus Dickinson scored 14 and 12, respectively.
Boise State scored the last five points of the first half on a Zach Haney jumper and a Jessup 3-pointer with five seconds left to send the Broncos into intermission with a 35-30 lead. J.D. Paige’s basket with 17:28 left to play pulled the Rams within 39-38, but Hobbs and Jessup accounted for all the scoring in a 9-0 run and Boise State stayed comfortably in front until the final minute. Anthony Masinton-Bonner’s 3-pointer pulled CSU within 68-66 with 20 seconds to go. The Broncos added two free throws to stretch their lead to four, but Jessup fouled Paige on a 3-point try with two seconds remaining. Paige made the first two foul shots, intentionally missed the third, but Nico Carvacho’s tip-in try was off target.
Carvacho picked up his conference-leading 13th double-double for the Rams, finishing with 12 points, 16 rebounds and six assists. Kris Martin and Paige scored 12 apiece.