After losing in the final seconds to Utah State, the Aztecs (9-3, 2-1 Mountain West Conference) were able to finish the job against the Mountain West Conference preseason favorites Boise State (11-4, 2-1) winning 76-68 in a tough road environment.
“We have a deep team and we have a talented team, but we have to find a way to execute better at times,” Brian Dutcher told San Diego Sports 760 after Saturday’s win. “I love my team and I think we’ll just continue to get better as the season goes on.”
Prior to the victory, the Aztecs had lost six of their last seven games against BSU, and they were heading into the matchup without standout freshman big Pharaoh Compton. Compton’s presence was missed in the first half as forwards Magoon Gwath, Miles Hiede, and Damarshay Johnson got into foul trouble early on. The Aztec bigs shot a combined 3-10 from the field in the first half.
The Aztec bigs were able to flip the script in the second half as Jared Coleman-Jones scored seven of his nine points in the second half and Miles Heide secured all five of his rebounds in the second half with three of them coming on the offensive end.
Rebounding has continued to be a major improvement for the Aztecs as they out-did the Broncos 39-29 and 15-9 in offensive rebounds. The Aztecs also outscored them 21-9 in the second-half points.
With starting guards Nick Boyd and BJ Davis struggling to score, Miles Byrd led the charge on the offensive end for the Aztecs scoring 22 points on all three levels. Byrd had the hot hand all game hitting contested midrange shots while also attacking the basket and shooting 3-6 from the three.
“I know the type of trust the coaches have in me so why not trust myself the same way,” Miles Byrd told San Diego Sports 760 after the game. “I’m an energy guy who happens to be skilled enough to do some other stuff on the court.”
Byrd wasn’t the only one producing points as the Aztec bench combined for an efficient 30 points. Wayne McKinney III scored eight while nailing two threes and freshman guard Taj DeGourville stepped up in a big way, scoring 13 points while converting a clutch transition three-point play late in the second half to give them a 65-57 lead.
On the defensive end, the Aztecs held the Broncos in check today as they shot 38% from the field and just 7-30 from the three. The Broncos severely struggled to score inside in the second half with just eight points in the paint to the Aztecs’ 22.
Mountain West preseason player of the year Tyson Degenhart shot just 1-7 from the floor along with nine points in 37 minutes for the Broncos. Degenhart was averaging a career-high 18 points per game heading into the matchup.
While the Aztecs closed the game out, they struggled to completely put BSU away late in the game. The Aztecs had their biggest lead of the game up 10 with less than a minute to go before they gave up five points in nine seconds due to a BSU three and an Aztec turnover against the full-court press that led to a BSU layup. Free throw struggles were very apparent late in the game but they were able to get stops on the defensive end to stop the Broncos from coming back.
This win could be critical for the Aztecs in the Mountain West Conference standings by the end of the season but they will have many more road games at elevation this year. The Aztecs’ next opponent will be the Air Force Falcons at home on Wednesday, Jan. 8.
