Aztecs Continue Defending Home Court
San Diego State defeats Boise State, avenges loss at Boise
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San Diego State stays hot with sixth win in seventh game
San Diego State has been tough to beat at home as they have won 12 straight against the Mountain West dating back to last year. Yesterday the Boise State Broncos came in looking for the season sweep versus Aztecs. Back in December the Broncos spanked San Diego State by 24 in the game played in Boise, and the Aztecs were not too happy about that and it showed. The Aztecs won 71-65 in what was a tale of two halves.
The first half was terrible as both teams struggled with turnovers and getting the ball through the hoop. San Diego State turned the ball over 10 times in the first half and shot 36% on the way to scoring a whopping 25 points. Boise State could not take advantage of a poor first-half performance by the Aztecs, even though they shot 47.8%, and only managed to lead by a score of 29-24.
San Diego State has gone on big scoring runs recently in games and last night was no different. Over a four minute span the Aztecs outscored the Broncos 14-2 to turn a two point deficit into a 10-point lead. Senior guard Devin Watson led the run with eight points on two three-pointer and a pair of free throws.
Boise State countered every Aztec run, however they were unable to wrestle control of the game from the Aztecs. They made it a one possession game a couple of times, including within the last minute, but San Diego State would rebuild their cushion with a clutch shot or some free throws.
Watson once again led the team in scoring with 19 points on eight shots. He made some big free throws down the stretch, finishing 8-10 from the charity stripe. Jalen McDaniels finished with 18 points and seven rebounds. Also in double figures were Matt Mitchell (13 points and seven rebounds) and Nathan Mensah (10 points and eight rebounds). Senior guard Jeremy Hemsley filled up the stat sheet, ending with seven points, six assists, and five rebounds.
The Broncos were led by Justinian Jessup who finished with 19 points. Derrick Alston was the only other player in double figures for Boise State with 12 points. The team shared the scoring load, but were unable to get a third player to have a big night. Nine players saw the floor for the Broncos last night and all scored at least a point.
