What San Diego State’s Brian Dutcher said after win vs. Boise State
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San Diego State added a big win to their resume on Saturday night, defeating Mountain West Conference foe Boise State 64-47 at Viejas Arena.
The Aztecs showcased their elite defense, holding the Broncos to nine points over the final 15:40 of the first half to take a 28-18 halftime lead. Boise State shot 30.4 percent from the field in the first half and increased that total to 37.5 percent in the second half but couldn’t find a way to consistently score against the Aztecs. The Broncos shot 3-18 from three-point range and had 10 shots blocked including five by Mountain West leader Magoon Gwath.
San Diego State senior guard Nick Boyd had a career-high 24 points and was one of three Aztecs to finish in double digits. Boyd shot 10-14 from the field and had six rebounds and two assists while Miles Byrd and Wayne McKinney each had 10 points.
Here’s everything San Diego State head coach Brian Dutcher said after the victory.
Opening statement:
“My coaching staff does a great job getting us ready for these games. From the prep work and the film work, coming up with game plans, and then our kids execute the game plans. We're good at mid-game adjustments when we need to be. I've got a really good coaching staff, and then I've got players that are mentally tough and follow a game plan. We played a good first half up 10, and I told them, ‘Play like we're down 17 at San Jose to start the second half. Play with desperation. Play with panic, the way you play.’ We did that. We started the second half aggressively like we were trailing. I’m happy with the performance tonight. To hold a really good offensive team like Boise to 47 points is hats off to our defense, and we have a game where we shoot 50% from the field. We didn't take a lot of threes, but we made enough. We took 12 for the game, which ties our season low, but we were still efficient offensively. It was a good combination of driving to the basket, post touches and timely threes in order to maintain a lead against a good Boise team. I'm really happy with the performance, and now, unfortunately, we don't get to enjoy it too long. We play Fresno on Tuesday. We'll practice tomorrow and we'll get ready the next day. Then we'll play a Fresno team that'll play zone against us for 40 minutes. We haven't seen 40 minutes of zone all year. As much as we'll enjoy it tonight, we'll be back to work tomorrow with the coaching staff and team, getting ready for our next one.”
On limiting Boise State’s Guard Alvaro Cardenas:
“We switched all the ball screens, and we had a body in front of a body. We did a good job on Cardenas. He's a top-seven assist guy in the country with seven assists a game. He only had three tonight, and that's a byproduct of our defense and switching everything, trying to keep a body in front of him where he can't get in the paint and create shots for his teammates. He's a very good player. I told the team before the game started ‘Mahomes is as good a quarterback as any in the NFL, but he got pressured and turned it over twice against the Eagles in the Super Bowl. Cardenas is Mahomes.’ We have to press him. We have to pressure him, and we have to make life hard on him. We did a good job of that.”
On Magoon Gwath’s performance:
“He was great. In and around the basket, he scored every time. He made an incredible catch when the game was getting tight; he caught a high ball and laid it in. I want him to be aggressive on the perimeter, but again, he got stripped in space once in a while, and that's just part of his game that will grow. We want him out there. We want him driving the ball, but we want him -more- driving in good space. He had a few careless turnovers, trying to be an unselfish player and feed the low post. That's just a young kid still growing his game, but five blocked shots, 4-6 in the field. He impacts the game on a lot of different levels. I’m pleased with how he played, other than the turnovers.”
On Wayne McKinney III:
“Wayne came here to win. He wants to play in March. That’s what he wants to do, so he knows every win is an important one. I didn’t hear his talk at halftime of the San Jose State game, but I heard he inspired the guys for the second half. I’m proud of him. I’m proud of how he’s handled coming off the bench and being a catalyst for runs that we have. He’s been a guy, a team leader in scoring in the past, now a 1,000-point scorer, but he’s embraced his role here because he wants to win more than anything else.”
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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.