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This Day In Sports…February 3, 2015:  

After going 0-18 all-time in Logan, Utah, Boise State gets its first-ever road victory over Utah State, 68-63. The Broncos led by five points at the break despite star guard Derrick Marks, the Mountain West’s leading scorer, having to spend the final 14 minutes of the first half on the bench with foul trouble. Marks came back in and scored 17 of his 23 points in the second half, including a stunning 35-foot three-pointer that turned the game. He then made a steal and fed James Webb III for a thunder dunk and a 65-60 lead. It was the Broncos’ last matchup against legendary Utah State coach Stew Morrill, who retired at the end of that season.

The flow of the game was odd, even beyond the Marks’ long first-half hiatus. Boise State was living by the three-pointer early and didn’t even attempt a two-point shot over the first seven minutes. The Broncos didn’t make one until a layup by Igor Hadziomerovic with 8:19 left in the half. The trey had been their friend to that point in the 2014-15 season, as they were shooting a solid 44 percent from beyond the arc for the season—and they shot 44 percent from long range against USU, making 11 three-pointers. Nick Duncan was a case in point. Here’s a 6-8 forward who went 0-for-3 inside…and stepped out to go 5-for-10 on three-point attempts.

Boise State had already picked up its first victory ever at New Mexico’s Pit that season. The Broncos would go on to complete their “quadfecta” of road breakthroughs, with first-ever victories at UNLV and San Diego State later in February. The campaign culminated in a regular-season Mountain West championship and a trip to the NCAA Tournament’s First Four. Boise State finished 25-9.

As for Marks, he was the catalyst that season, averaging 19.4 points per game, the sixth-best mark in school history. He was named Mountain West Player of the Year, still the only Bronco ever to capture that honor in the coaches’ vote. And he finished with 1,912 career points, fourth all-time at Boise State. Marks never scored 40 points in a game, but he tallied 30 or more 10 times, a Boise State record. His career-high was 39 against Idaho during his junior year. Marks is still playing pro hoops overseas—now for UCC Assigeco Piacenza in Italy’s Serie A2, the second tier of Italian pro basketball.

(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra. He also anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK and one on News/Talk KBOI. His Scott Slant column runs every Wednesday.) 

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