Friday, March 6
Las Vegas, Nev.
7:00 PM MT
Boise State
20-12,11-7Mountain West
68
vs
81
San Diego State
30-1,17-1Mountain West
1
2
F
Boise St.
40
28
68
San Diego St.
40
41
81
Photo by: Tim Nwachukwu/NCAA Photos
Aztecs Rally to Down Broncos
3/6/2020 10:41:00 PM | Men's Basketball
LAS VEGAS -Â Boise State threw the first punch, but No. 5 San Diego State delivered more counters as the top-seeded Aztecs rallied to defeat the fifth-seeded Broncos, 81-68, Friday in the Mountain West Championship semifinal at the Thomas & Mack Center. Five Broncos scored in double figures, led by 21 from Alex Hobbs off the bench.
Boise State (20-12) surged to a 37-21 lead, but San Diego State (30-1) responded with a 19-3 run in the final five minutes of the half. Jordan Schakel made the Aztecs' 10th three-pointer of the half just before the buzzer to tie the score at 40 headed into the locker room.
San Diego State scored the first four points of the second half and never surrendered the lead. The Broncos made a late push, cutting a 14-point deficit to eight with 3:34 to play when Hobbs hit a transition three-pointer and found Justinian Jessup in the corner for another triple on the next possession. Boise State got two more stops, but came up empty on the offensive end and the Aztecs made enough free throws down the stretch to maintain a double-digit lead.
RJ Williams tallied 12 points and 12 rebounds for his fourth-straight double-double and 12th of the season. Williams is the second Bronco to record two double-doubles in a single conference tournament, joining Jason Ellis at the 2005 Western Athletic Conference Tournament.
Jessup finished with 10 points, his 27th game in double figures this season and 83rd of his career. Derrick Alston, Jr. (12) and Abu Kigab (10) rounded out Boise State's double-figure scoring contingent.
The Aztecs finished the game with 15 three-pointers, the most by a Boise State opponent in Leon Rice's 10 seasons as head coach. They were 15-for-36 (41.7 percent) from beyond the arc, and shot 49.1 percent from the field.
Boise State will await the postseason selections, set for Sunday, March 15, to learn if its season will continue.
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Boise State (20-12) surged to a 37-21 lead, but San Diego State (30-1) responded with a 19-3 run in the final five minutes of the half. Jordan Schakel made the Aztecs' 10th three-pointer of the half just before the buzzer to tie the score at 40 headed into the locker room.
San Diego State scored the first four points of the second half and never surrendered the lead. The Broncos made a late push, cutting a 14-point deficit to eight with 3:34 to play when Hobbs hit a transition three-pointer and found Justinian Jessup in the corner for another triple on the next possession. Boise State got two more stops, but came up empty on the offensive end and the Aztecs made enough free throws down the stretch to maintain a double-digit lead.
RJ Williams tallied 12 points and 12 rebounds for his fourth-straight double-double and 12th of the season. Williams is the second Bronco to record two double-doubles in a single conference tournament, joining Jason Ellis at the 2005 Western Athletic Conference Tournament.
Jessup finished with 10 points, his 27th game in double figures this season and 83rd of his career. Derrick Alston, Jr. (12) and Abu Kigab (10) rounded out Boise State's double-figure scoring contingent.
The Aztecs finished the game with 15 three-pointers, the most by a Boise State opponent in Leon Rice's 10 seasons as head coach. They were 15-for-36 (41.7 percent) from beyond the arc, and shot 49.1 percent from the field.
Boise State will await the postseason selections, set for Sunday, March 15, to learn if its season will continue.
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Team Stats
Boise
SDSU
FG%
.393
.491
3FG%
.333
.417
FT%
.789
.857
RB
35
30
TO
11
8
STL
3
6
Game Leaders
Pts
21
FGM
7
3FGM
3
FTM
4
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
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