San Diego State falls to Boise State in Mountain West Conference tournament: 3 takeaways
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San Diego State (21-9, 14-6) saw their NCAA tournament chances take a hit on Thursday afternoon, dropping their opening game to Boise State 62-52 in the Mountain West Conference tournament.
The Aztecs led Boise State 33-28 at the halftime break but mustered only 19 second half points to end their tournament run after just one game. Boise State got a balanced scoring effort with All-Mountain West selections Alvarado Cardenas and Tyson Degenhart leading four players in double figures. Nick Boyd led San Diego State with a game-high 20 points while no other Aztecs finished with more than seven points.
After sweeping both games from Boise State during the 2024-25 regular season, San Diego State was unable to come up with a third win over the Broncos and will have their fate in the hands the NCAA selection committee leading up to the Selection Sunday.
GAME OF RUNS
San Diego State extended their lead to 33-22 in the final minute of the first half but quickly saw that lead disappear. The Broncos knocked down two three-point baskets in the closing seconds of the half and opened the second 20 minutes with seven more points to make it a 13-0 run. San Diego State responded with two three-point baskets from Nick Boyd to reclaim the lead.
The two teams spent more than six minutes of the game tied. Tyson Degenhart broke a 49-49 tie with one of his two three-pointers on the night with less than six minutes to play. Boise State never trailed again, outscoring the Aztecs 13-3 over the final stretch. San Diego State was held without a basket over the final 9:11 of the game, missing each of their final nine shot attempts.
REBOUNDING WINS OUT
Boise State was second in the Mountain West in rebounding this season and showed it on Thursday. The Broncos start five players that are all listed between six-foot-five and six-foot-eight and used it to their advantage against a San Diego State team missing seven-footer Magoon Gwath, the conference’s defensive player of the year this season.
The Broncos outrebounded the Aztecs 40-28 for the game. They won the rebounding battle in the second half, 22 to 13, to give themselves extra shots despite shooting 37 percent from the field. Boise State limited San Diego State to 5-20 shooting over the final 20 minutes with players not named Nick Boyd going 1-13 from the field.
THE WAITING GAME
While a win over Boise State likely would have sealed San Diego State’s trip to a fifth consecutive NCAA tournament, Thursday’s loss puts the Aztecs squarely on the bubble. ESPN and CBS both projected the Aztecs as one of the last four teams in the tournament prior to Thursday’s loss.
San Diego State now must root against bid-stealing teams such as their own conference foe in Colorado State. The Rams are the two-seed in the Mountain West Conference tournament and have been playing their best basketball in recent weeks as they look for their third tournament appearance in four years.
Two other teams that the Aztecs are fighting for a spot against, Texas and North Carolina, both won their conference tournament games on Thursday, further cementing their spots in the bracket that will be released on Sunday.
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-770033d1c5c4820fdbde4ecf2452e810.jpg "Bodie De Silva")
Bodie DeSilva has been covering sports in San Diego for more than a decade. He previously covered San Diego State athletics for Scout/Fox Sports.