LOGAN – On March 9, 2024, Ian Martinez dribbled out most of the final 20 or so seconds on the clock in a tied game against New Mexico. Those slow moments were leading up to what was eventually a buzzer-beating game-winner. But Martinez didn’t take that shot, he yielded that honor to Darius Brown who became the hero of that night.
A year later, with the scoreboard reading just 9.3 seconds left, Utah State once again needed a clutch shot trailing 79-77 to Boise State. Brown was long gone, his heroics weren’t going to save the Aggies. So when Martinez once again fielded the inbound pass, he took the shot with no hesitation.
Coming off a Karson Templin screen, Martinez caught the pass from Drake Allen, turned immediately toward the basket and let it fly. Just after the release, Boise State’s Tyson Degenhart made contact with Martinez’s leg. The whistle for a foul blew while the ball was still air and what followed was a truly remarkable sight.
The ball began by hitting the right side of the rim.
Then the left.
Right side again.
Then rolled around the left and onto the back iron.
And through the net.
Ladies and gentlemen, Ian Martinez. pic.twitter.com/8TUym4ubNs
— Jason Walker (@jwalker_sports) January 12, 2025
“It felt like forever,” Martinez said after the game, the flag of his native Costa Rica draped around his neck. “I was just there on the ground just watching and hoping it went in. It bounced about five times on the rim it was crazy. I couldn’t believe it.”
An eruption of sound cascaded around the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum as the ball slipped in, a release of the pent-up nervousness from a game in which Utah State trailed most of the time. Martinez hit the and-one free throw to complete the four-point play and give USU the two point lead.
“No words. I mean, it was, it’s crazy,” Martinez said. “First of all, just all glory to God and just my teammates who’ve been trying to keep me up and confident. I haven’t been shooting the ball so great lately. So just coming in today and being able to make some shots to help the team win makes me really happy.”
But one final stop had to be made, and a feeling of dread creeped into the minds of Aggie fans and players. Boise State had just under eight seconds to change the fortunes of the game once again. And the trend leading up to that moment hadn’t exactly been tipping in the Aggies’ favor. The Broncos had made 14 threes so far in the game. A season-best for them by far. It was an especially curious performance given Boise State walked into the Spectrum ranking 321st in the country in 3-point percentage at a mere 29.9 percent.
Worse still, it had only been seconds ago that Alvaro Cardenas had wiped out the efforts of a go-ahead bucket by Drake Allen, hitting a triple from the top of the arc to put the Broncos up.
In the frantic final moments, Cardenas once again shouldered the responsibility for a potential go-ahead bucket, hoisting a 3-pointer from the right wing over the hand of Allen.
“I want to forget what I was thinking in that moment because it was not good,” Martinez said.
The Aggies wouldn’t have to consider the consequences of Cardenas hitting a buzzer-beater because while his shot, too, clanged off the back rim, he didn’t have the blessing of the basketball gods and it sailed away from the cylinder as the buzzer sounded.
In so many ways, Utah State probably shouldn’t have been in that position to win the game. Boise State went into halftime up 38-34 on the back of making nine triples in the first half alone. Degenhart, who’s been going through the worst 3-point shooting season of his career, made 4 of 6 from beyond the arc to account for all of his 12 first-half points.
“We let Degenhart get way, way too comfortable. There’s a reason he’s preseason player of the year,” Calhoun said. “Gets nine quick threes, nine points off three quick threes wasn’t great.”
The assumption from most would have been that the Broncos couldn’t maintain their absurd shooting clip, and that the fact Utah State trailed by just four points after giving up nearly double-digit threes in just one half was a pretty good sign. But the visitors had no plans to become victims to a regression to the mean.
Straight out of halftime, Boise State went on a 9-0 run to take its largest lead of the game, 47-34. Calhoun called timeout to try and settle his team and get a suddenly necessary double-digit comeback started. That rally would take time, but it would eventually materialize. Deyton Albury got it started with an and-one layup and Martinez hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead back to single digits. Though it would be Dexter Akanno that applied the crucial touch to the comeback.
Over a span of three minutes, Akanno would score eight of his eventual 12 points, aiding in cutting the Boise State lead from eight points to just one with 9:25 left in the game. The senior wing came off the bench as he has all season, but this stretch showcased the value he’s brought to the team all year.
“He’s a guy that started every game at Oregon State [last year],” Calhoun said. “He’s been unbelievable. Ian talks about these guys being able to accept the role, right? And most kids can’t these days. It’s me, me, me, and they want big roles. Dex has had a big role all year, but it’s coming off the bench. And he’s never salty, never pouted, never had a bad day since he’s been here.”
Dexter’s got the Spectrum 𝙍𝙊𝘾𝙆𝙄𝙉𝙂! pic.twitter.com/ai1yjErMdl
— USU Men’s Hoops (@USUBasketball) January 12, 2025
While Utah State got the game to a one-possession game, the job wasn’t done yet. It took another three minutes for the Aggies to take their first lead since the middle of the first half on a Templin floater in the paint. But with the game now evened up, both teams began to trade blows. Allen hit a 3-pointer that was answered by Degenhart who hit his fifth triple of the game. Martinez hit a three, though it was countered by an 8-1 run from the Broncos.
A crucial detail in that late run from Boise State was a lack of free throw shooting from USU. Although they made 61.2 percent of their field goal attempts, including 80 percent in the second half, the Aggies struggled all night from the line. Utah State went to the charity stripe three times during that 8-1 run. And you can guess by the point total how many of the six free throws were made. Mason Falslev split a pair from the line and Gateretse went 0-for-4. The Aggies finished the game shooting just 10 of 22 on free throws. Falslev and Gateretse accounted for most of those misses by going a combined 1 of 11.
“(Mason) definitely has the yips there’s no doubt about it he’ll tell you that,” Calhoun said. “It’s in his head right now, and then Aubin, I think the pressure got to him, quite honestly. But we’ll get better.”
Boise State went into the final 90 seconds of the game with a 75-71 lead.
And yet, despite the self-inflicted wounds, the clutch plays would materialize. Martinez, of course, provided the spark with a 3-pointer that shaved the deficit to just one point. Then, it was Boise State’s turn to face the wrong side of poor free throw shooting. Cardenas was fouled on a drive to the rim and had two free throws. The moment apparently got to him too as he missed both shots, allowing Allen’s layup on the other end to give USU the lead, and set up the dramatic final 30 seconds of the game.
Martinez ended the night with a team-high 18 points, including five made 3-pointers, the most he’s had in a game since November. Albury put home 14 points for his second consecutive game with double-figure scoring. Allen had 13 points and tied for a team-best with four assists. Akanno had his aforementioned 12 and Falslev, despite a poor night at the free throw line, contributed plenty with 10 points, five rebounds (most on the team) and four assists (tied with Allen for the most for USU).
Calhoun noted after the game that his now 16-1 team is “kind of tired.” They’ve played five games in two weeks, three of those being away from home. Isaac Johnson missed the game due to illness.
“We’ve kind of been all over the country,” Calhoun said. “So we’re kind of wearing down a little bit, to be honest with you.”
Utah State will have a game on Wednesday (with a day off on Sunday) at UNLV. That will send USU into a full week off.
