LAS VEGAS- The third time was the charm for the Boise State Broncos, handing San Diego State a loss that potentially eliminates them from a spot in the NCAA tournament, 62-52, advancing to the Semi-Finals
The stakes went without saying, as both teams entered the quarter-final matchup on the bubble for the NCAA tournament. The incentive: Win and you’re one step closer to March Madness.
The Broncos walked off their bus and into the Thomas and Mack Center with a bitter taste in their mouth, dropping the first two matchups against the Aztecs in the regular season by an average of 12.5 points.
The 2024-2025 Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, Magoon Gwath, was listed as active after missing the previous four games with a knee injury. Despite his designation, he never entered the contest as head coach Brian Dutcher opted for the hot hand, starting forward Miles Heide.
Guard Nick Boyd fired up the Las Vegas crowd early, drawing a charge and screaming “I’m here,” while urging the fans to get on their feet. Boyd was, in fact, “here,” drawing a double team and kicking it out to guard BJ Davis for a corner three-pointer to put SDSU up 5-0 with 18:19 remaining.
The Broncos embraced the Aztecs’ rowdy energy and quietly put the fans back in their seats, connecting on three straight three-pointers and jumping out to a 9-5 lead with 15:46 in the first half.
The true freshman pair of guard Taj DeGourville and forward Pharaoh Compton were unaffected by the bright lights, with both getting inside for a layup on back to back possessions, cutting the deficit to one with 12:05 remaining.
It was showtime in the Sin City, as guard Miles Byrd stole the ball and passed it up to Boyd, Boyd then lofted the ball off the backboard to a trailing Compton for an alley oop dunk, giving SDSU a three point lead midway through the first half.
Byrd got involved with the spectacle, recovering a loose ball before throwing a behind the back pass to Wayne McKinney III, McKinney did the rest, embracing the contact and connecting on an acrobatic and-one layup. The layup gave SDSU a six point lead with six minutes remaining in the half.
Before the Broncos knew it, they were heading for a timeout down by nine while Byrd strutted down the court yelling “Booom,” at the crowd following his left wing three-pointer.
The Scarlet and Black held a five point lead going into halftime. For Boise State, they lived and died beyond the arc, shooting 30.4% from three-point range with seven of their nine field goals being three-pointers.
Boise State came out of the locker room rejuvenated, matching the Aztecs energy and rattling off a 7-0 run to take a two point lead with 17:29 remaining.
Boyd didn’t let the momentum last long, lacing back-to-back pull up three-pointers and letting the Boise State bench hear it as SDSU went back up by four with 16:30 left to play.
What was expected to be the closest game of the Quarter-Final continued to deliver. After the Boyd barrage, the Broncos sparked a quick 5-0 run of their own to regain a two point lead.
When the clock struck the midway point of the second half, the two teams found themselves knotted up at 45. Boise State made a living off second chance points in the first ten minutes, out scoring SDSU 13-3.
On a day where the SDSU offense sputtered, Boyd emerged as the calming presence, switching hands in mid air for a contact layup to go up by two points with 9:11 left in the game.
Each fanbase’s nerves only grew stronger, as both teams remained tied at 49 with five minutes to decide a winner.
A step-back three-pointer from Alvaro Cardenas sunk the hearts of Scarlet and Black fans, extending the Broncos lead to five with four minutes remaining. The Aztecs rebounding problem struck again, as Boise State recovered a miss for an easy layup to go up seven with three minutes left.
For the first time all day, the gap never decreased, as Boise State defeated SDSU, 62-52, advancing to the Semi-Finals to play No. 1 New Mexico.
“We knew our backs were against the wall at the half, we knew it could be our last game together but we didn’t want that to be the case,” said Boise State center Tyson Degenhart.
In the game, the Broncos had 13 offensive rebounds and 18 second chance points, SDSU mustered up just four offensive rebounds and three second chance points.
“If you’re able to win the rebounding margin by that much against that team you’re in a good position. Our effort was outstanding in the second half,” said Degenhart.
Nick Boyd gave it his all, recording 20 points and three assists in the loss.
“We lost to a great team… It’s a good rivalry, the teams respect each other,” said head coach Brian Dutcher. “They played harder than us on the glass tonight and that’s why they got the win,” said Dutcher.
With the future of SDSUs season up in the air, Boyd gave his sales pitch on the Aztecs deserving a spot in the NCAA tournament.
“We handled business in non conference, and came to a Mountain West tournament that has five teams scrapping for a spot in the [NCAA] tournament,” said Boyd. “It’s hard to beat a team three times, but you saw what we did in non conference, that’s why I think we should be in.”
