SAN DIEGO _ The players were in middle school back then, some still in elementary school. They've no doubt heard the stories, the lore, about those nights when visiting teams came to play Kawhi Leonard and the Aztecs nine years ago. About the sheer volume of sound, about the energy, about the inspiration, about the intimidation.
Now they know first-hand.
Viejas Arena is back.
The Aztecs (17-0, 6-0 Mountain West) have largely achieved an undefeated season and No. 7 national ranking with what they've done away from home, felling all their biggest opponents on the road or in neutral venues and dispatching a parade of inferior teams at home with ho-hum efforts.
Now they have their sixth man. If we learned anything from Saturday night's 83-65 clinic against a Boise State team that had won two of its previous visits to a less enthusiastic Viejas Arena, it's that it is going to be really, really hard for the guys in dark uniforms to win here this season.
Not against this team, not with this crowd.
And not when KJ Feagin is doing all little things, all the intangibles, he usually does and making shots.
The fifth-year senior transfer kept telling anyone who would listen that he really wasn't a 30% shooter and that his 17.5-point average from his final full season at Santa Clara wasn't a misprint, that he essentially hadn't played in 19 months while rehabbing two separate injuries and it would take a while for the rust to shake off. That it was just a matter of time.
And it was. Feagin equaled his season high of 13 points with 6:45 left in the first half and finished with 23 on 9 of 16 shooting, including a sizzling 5 of 7 behind the arc. His numbers entering the day: 7.2 points on 33.9% shooting, 5.8 and 29.3 in conference games (and 3 of 14 on 3s).
"I feel like this was the coming out game for me I found my stroke finally," Feagin said. "I'm just happy my coaches supported me through the slump and my teammates put up with all those missed shots."
That's a problem for defenses, already occupied with stopping Malachi Flynn, Yanni Wetzell, Matt Mitchell and Jordan Schakel.
The result was arguably the Aztecs' most complete half of the season, leading 48-25 after shooting 57.6% and making 8 of 13 from deep. They had 25 points before committing a turnover.
The signature moment that sent Viejas into delirium: The 6-foot-1 Flynn drawing a switch from 6-7, 215-pound RJ Williams late in the half, waving away ball screens, toying with him at the top of the key, faking the drive, then stepping back with a between-the-legs dribble for an area-code 3.
"The energy is contagious," Wetzell said. "We feed off it. When the opposing team makes a run, the crowd just brings us back into it."
Added Feagin: "When the crowd is like that, you feel like you can't do anything wrong."
The lead grew to 25 early in the second half before the Broncos settled down and stopped turning it over. They cut it to 17 with 10 minutes to go, but by then the Aztecs _ and Viejas _ had made their statement.
Boise State shot 56.5% and outscored the nation's No. 7 team by five in the second half, and still lost by 18.
"Un-de-feat-ed, un-de-feat-ed," students chanted as the walk-ons subbed in for the final minutes.
Wetzell tied his Division I career high with 20 points on 9 of 12 shooting, meaning he is 16 of 19 in his last two games. Flynn added 19 points on 7 of 11 shooting to go with six assists and two steals. Mitchell had 10 points and seven rebounds, and Schakel had seven points.
Boise State was led by Williams with 16 points off the bench.
Derrick Alston Jr. had nine points, 11 below his Mountain West-leading average. Justinian Jessup, who recently set the school career record for 3s, had seven points on 2 of 12 shooting (1 of 7 behind the arc).
There was other good news for the Aztecs: Sophomore forward Aguek Arop, their most versatile defender and best offensive rebounder, returned after missing seven games with a shoulder injury sustained Dec. 4 at Colorado State. He participated in his first full practice this week and was cleared by doctors Friday.
He checked into the game with 10:51 left in the first half, and 30 seconds later grabbed an offensive rebound on a missed free throw.
The schedule doesn't ease up for the Aztecs, who just endured the Mountain West's two most arduous road trips back-to-back: Logan, Utah, and Laramie, Wyo. Now they go to Fresno State, where they are 1-4 in their last five visits to Save Mart Center.
And they play Tuesday instead of the usual Wednesday, giving them one day less prep. Fresno State, meanwhile, has a full week to prepare and has seniors Noah Blackwell and Nate Grimes back from injury, plus midseason transfer Jordan Campbell. None played in SDSU's 61-52 win at Viejas Arena on New Year's Day.
"They're coming off a week bye and they're going to be at full strength health-wise, and they've been preparing for us for a week," SDSU coach Brian Dutcher said. "Three out of four on the road, and we'll see if we can close this stretch with a hard-fought road victory."
