Aztecs Down Broncos, 76-68

Saturday, January 4

Boise, Idaho

2 PM

Boise State

11-4,3-1Mountain West

San Diego State

9-3,2-1Mountain West

San Diego St.

Boise St.

Leon Rice in the team huddle during a timeout

1/4/2025 6:17:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

BOISE, Idaho — Led by Miles Byrd, San Diego State snapped Boise State's five-game winning streak and downed the Broncos, 76-68, on Saturday afternoon at ExtraMile Arena.

With an eight-point victory, the Aztecs hand Boise State (11-4, 3-1 MW) its first home and conference defeat of the season. San Diego State (9-3, 2-1 MW) also snapped the Broncos' three-game, head-to-head winning streak.

"Credit San Diego State," Head Coach Leon Rice said during his post game media availability. "We have great battles with them, and this was no different."

With three players scoring in double figures, the team was led by Chris Lockett Jr. who poured in a team-high 16 points. He set career highs in points (16), field goals (5), three pointers (3) and free throws (3) against the Aztecs.

Andrew Meadow extended his double-digit scoring streak to five games and tallied 14 points and three rebounds. Julian Bowie posted 10 points and shot 3-for-6 off the bench.

Byrd scored a game-high 22 points for San Diego State and made eight of his 15 shot attempts. He added four rebounds and two assists in 34 minutes of game action.

At the outset, Boise State scored eight of the game's first 12 points while shooting 3-of-6 from the floor. Three different Broncos registered a bucket, including Meadow who also made a pair of free throws.

Coming off the bench, Lockett and Bowie provided an instant offensive spark. The duo combined for eight quick points on two three-pointers and a layup.

Boise State, who led by as many as seven points in the first half, saw its lead evaporate on the heels of a 16-6 run by the Aztecs. Benefiting from back-to-back buckets by BJ Davis and Jared Coleman-Jones, San Diego State forged ahead, 25-22, with 6:27 left in the first half.

The Aztecs used an 11-point, first-half swing and turned a seven-point deficit into a four-point lead, its largest of the period. In total, the opening 20 minutes featured four ties and three lead changes.

Boise State, however, responded prior to the intermission, and for the second consecutive game, Lockett capped the first-half scoring. With under a minute to play, Lockett made it a one-point game on an old-fashioned three-point play.

For the half, Boise State held the Aztecs to 39 percent shooting (12-31 FGs) while making 43 percent (10-23 FGs) of its shots. Despite shooting 2-of-10 from three, the Broncos shot 10-of-12 from the line and only trailed by one at halftime.

Within the first six minutes of the second half, San Diego State increased its lead to six, but a quick 6-0 run by Boise State evened the game at 47. The Broncos never led in the second half, and that was the only time the game was tied in the final 20 minutes.

Boise State nearly tied the game at 58 on back-to-back threes by Alvaro Cardenas, but after review, one his three-pointers were ruled a two-point basket. At that junction, the Broncos trailed, 58-57, with just under seven minutes left in the game.

With under a minute on the clock, San Diego State notched its largest lead of the game and opened a double-digit advantage. Boyd knocked down a pair of free throws to make it a 73-63 game.

Following a three by Bowie and a steal on the ensuing inbound pass, Meadow sliced the lead to five on a layup. With time being a factor, that was as close as Boise State would get.

For the game, the Aztecs shot 44 percent from the floor and 15 of their 30 three-point attempts. San Diego State outpaced the Broncos in rebounding (39-29), points in the paint (30-22) and second-chance points (21-9).

With just two days in between games, Boise State will turn its attention to UNLV. Slated for an 8:30 p.m. MT tip, the Broncos will host the Rebels on Tuesday at ExtraMile Arena.

NOTABLES:

Boise State drops to 13-19 in 32 all-time head-to-head meetings with San Diego State.

Chris Lockett Jr. recorded career highs in points (16), field goals (3) and free throws (3) in the contest.

Alvaro Cardenas had six assists and posted his 12th game—fifth consecutive—with five or more dimes.

Andrew Meadow extended his double-digit scoring streak to five games versus the Aztecs.

Julian Bowie registered his second double-digit scoring game and first since Nov. 25, 2024 against South Dakota State.

For the seventh time this season, the Broncos made at least 20 free throws in a single contest, knocking down 21 against San Diego State. In games where the team makes 20+ shots from the charity stripe, Boise State is 5-2.