SAN DIEGO – Despite a furious fourth quarter rally, the Aztecs fell to Boise State 69-66 Saturday afternoon inside Viejas Arena in their Mountain West opener. SDSU trailed for the entire game and by as much as 13 in the fourth quarter but found themselves down by two points in the final seconds.
After a Bronco missed free-throw with 12 seconds left, the Aztecs had the ball down three points. Their play broke down, but they still managed to get a good look. Zayn Dornstauder nearly banked in a three to tie the game, but her shot was just too hard, and rimmed out.
Mallory Adams had her fourth double-double of the year after scoring a career-high 20 points and bringing in 12 rebounds. Her freshman counterpart Sophia Ramos added 15 points with six assists and five rebounds. Najé Murray scored 11 points and Zayn Dornstauder chipped in eight points with a career-high eight rebounds.
The Aztecs' struggles at the beginning of games continued Saturday and they found themselves down 11-3 and 19-7 after making just one of their first 11 field goal attempts. They were able to keep the Broncos within reach by sinking eight first quarter free throws.
Both teams struggled to score in the second quarter and failed to reach double-digits. The Aztecs forced seven turnovers in the quarter and allowed just four field goals. SDSU was cold from the field but created second chance opportunities with 17 offensive rebounds in the first half and trailed 30-21 at the halftime break.
The Aztecs cut it to seven points early in the third quarter as they started to heat up. After scoring 21 points on five field goals in the first two quarters, SDSU had 20 points on six field goals in the third quarter.
The Broncos' held a 12 point lead with 6:31 left in the game, but then the Aztecs went on an 11-0 run to close the gap to one point. BSU didn't score a field goal for a five minute span but managed to respond with a 6-0 run due to efficient free throw shooting (11-12 in the fourth).
The Aztecs shot 61 percent (11-for-18) in the fourth quarter and outrebounded Boise State 41-33, including a 21-11 advantage on the offensive glass. However, SDSU was just 1-for-14 on three-point field goals.
The Broncos were led by A'Shanti Coleman's 22 points. Riley Lupfer and Braydey Hodgins also scored 17 points apiece.
STAT OF THE GAME
The Aztecs had 17 offensive rebounds in the first half and 21 in the game. They entered the game averaging 12 per game.
THE NOTE I
The Aztecs have faced double-digit deficits in the first quarter in each of their last three games.
THE NOTE II
The Aztecs scored 11 field goals in the fourth quarter, matching their total from the first three quarters combined.
UP NEXT
The Aztecs will head to Wyoming Wednesday for their first Mountain West road game of the season.
Aztecs Rally Falls Just Short vs. Boise State
