Final: Boise State 78, San Diego State 66
First Half
San Diego State came out guns blazing (not literally, but this is a permitless concealed carry state) and jumped out to a 21-10 lead before Boise State woke up and started chipping away at the Aztec lead. Senior transfer James Reid was the catalyst that allowed the Broncos to storm back behind 4-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc. Reid was the only Bronco that was able to match the hot shooting of SDSU’s Max Hoetzel, who opened scoring for the Aztecs and didn’t let up until he’d gone a perfect 4-of-4 from 3-point range before halftime. Luckily, Boise State ended the half with a flourish after trailing for nearly 18 minutes and took a 39-35 lead into the locker room. First half leaders were Reid for the Broncos, with 14 and Hoetzel for the Aztecs with 12.
Second Half
The Broncos continued to have the hot hand as the second half got underway as Nick Duncan—who hadn't attempted a shot in the first half—got in on the scoring action and was particularly spiffy from downtown, hitting 4-of-7 three point attempts. To help matters for the Broncos, the Aztecs went cold from the floor and allowed the Broncos to extend their lead all the way to 16 with long-scoring droughts.
Center Zach Haney had the game of his Bronco career with 19 points, and looked unstoppable inside and even pitched in a long-range uncontested 3. In fact, Reid and Haney were your high-point men in blue and orange, both contributing 19 points, and showed that the Bronco bench can do more than its fair share of scoring. The Broncos top three scorers on the season—Hutchison, Duncan, and Austin—all had 12 points in the game but only Hutch had the requisite rebounds (14) for a double-double.
The Broncos narrowly out-rebounded the Aztecs 38-34, but by far the biggest disparity in the game was the Broncos 30 points off Aztec turnovers...SDSU had just 4 points under the same circumstances. The Broncos, at 4-0 in conference, will remain atop the standings with their 7th straight win. I'd say it's fair to say this Bronco team has a bit more spirit than we thought they would after losing Webb III and Drmic.
Chaser
— Boise State Men's BB (@BroncoSportsMBB) January 8, 2017