What San Diego State's Nick Boyd said after win vs. San Jose State
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A slow start from San Diego State on Tuesday night left the Aztecs with a 37-20 deficit on the road against San Jose State. After regrouping at halftime, San Diego State opened the second half on a 17-0 run, tying the game at 37 before the 16-minute mark of the half.
San Diego State point guard Nick Boyd had seven of his team-high 17 points during that run, putting the Aztecs in position for a comeback victory. Sophomore guard BJ Davis chipped in with 13 points and five rebounds while Miles Byrd and Jared Coleman-Jones each finished with nine points.
The Aztecs outrebounded San Jose State 42 to 35 and came up big at the free throw line making 17 of their 22 attempts. San Diego State limited San Jose State to 34.4 percent shooting in the second half while the Spartans finished the night 3-10 from the free-throw line.
Playing without leading scorers Josh Uduje and Will McClendon due to injury, San Jose State got big contributions from guards Donavan Yap Jr. and Latrell Davis. The duo combined for 40 points, knocking down eight three-pointers but couldn’t slow down San Diego State’s second-half comeback.
Here's what Boyd had to say after the game.
On the Aztecs’ second-half rallies:
“That's been our best ball. That's a problem right now. We’ve got to fix that and come out with that same intensity and energy from the jump. It makes a difference, and it's important if you want to continue to have a great March.”
On if fear played a role in the comeback:
“We want to play to the standard always. That's the culture here. I feel like, sometimes, we as a team begin to overthink some things in terms of trying to just be perfect in a sense, instead of just going all out for it and having a good time and playing the game we love at a high level. That’s what we did early on. When you get into conference, it’s a little bit more strategic, and I think sometimes the strategy bogs us down a little bit.”
On halftime adjustments:
“Coach Dutcher told us that he believes in us, we're going to come up with a game plan, and it's on us to dictate the second half and then write our own story. We changed the pressure. I feel like our pressure wasn't there from the jump, just picking up full court. We kind of let them breathe in the first half. When you're at home and you're playing a team that you really want to beat, those shots are going to go in.”
On if the pressure of success makes it hard mentally:
“When you're San Diego State, I'm new to this too, but everybody wants to beat you, especially in this league, so you’ve got to come ready to play no matter who's out on the court. I think they only had about nine active guys, but those guys came in and they played hard, so credit to them.”
On if the comebacks are sustainable:
“I think it's 50/50 in a sense. It can bite you and then at the same time you can sustain it. Like I said, our focus is to bring that energy that we had this second half and all these other second halves that we played throughout the season. I feel like we play our best ball in the second half. We’ve got to bring that same energy in the first half, whether it's the guys who start the game or the guys who come off the bench. You’ve got to bring that every time the ball goes in the air.”
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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.