BOISE, IDAHO – Miles Byrd set a new career-high with 22 points as he helped San Diego State hand Boise State its first home loss of the season at ExtraMile Arena on Saturday afternoon by the score of 76-68.
The Aztecs (9-3, 2-1 Mountain West) returned to their winning ways after faltering 67-66 at home against Utah State last weekend.
The loss snaps Boise State’s (11-4, 3-1 MW) five-game winning streak going back to non-conference play in mid-December.
The first half was back and forth. The teams exchanged baskets early leading to Boise State holding a 10-9 lead with 13:30 left to play. The Broncos made consecutive threes to go up seven, their largest lead of the game, before Wayne McKinney III connected from deep to bring the deficit back to four. Boise State made a layup to go back up six before Byrd went on a run, scoring the Aztecs’ next nine points and bringing SDSU within a point 22-21 at the under-eight media timeout. San Diego State scored the next five points of the game on a BJ Davis jumper, a Jared Coleman-Jones layup and a Demarshay Johnson Jr free throw to take its first lead of the game and go up four points. The Broncos scored four consecutive points on free throws to tie the game and eventually retake the lead before Johnson Jr. took it right back with a putback dunk with three minutes remaining. The Aztecs extended the lead to four before Boise State had a three-point play in the final minute of the first half and the teams headed to the locker rooms for halftime with the Aztecs on top 33-32. In the first half, Byrd had 14 points while Tyson Degenhart was held to just five (all on free throws).
SDSU did not trail in the second half. Byrd opened the half with another three and the Aztecs treaded water, staying up between one and four points until a Byrd lob to Magoon Gwath was slammed home to make it 47-41 with 14:23 to go. The Broncos scored the next six points to tie the game, but Miles Heide reclaimed the lead for San Diego State, followed by another McKinney III to extend it. Coming out of the under-eight media timeout, Alvaro Cardenas scored five straight points to bring the Broncos back within one. After an Aztec timeout, the team was unfazed, as Byrd made a layup before two consecutive Boise State turnovers led to Taj DeGourville layups on the other end including a free throw on the second to make it 65-57. SDSU was able to get the lead as high as ten, but the Broncos cut it back down with the final score ending up 76-68.
Beyond Byrd’s career-high 22 points, DeGourville was a key contributor off the bench for SDSU with 13 points (one shy of his career-high against Occidental) and a team leading six rebounds. Coleman-Jones battled his way to nine points and five boards and Nick Boyd chipped in seven points while dishing out five assists. McKinney III was also important off the bench, adding a pair of three-pointers.
Chris Lockett led the way for Boise State with 16 points while Andrew Meadow scored 14 and Tyson Degenhart and Cardenas had nine each with Cardenas also totaling a game-high six assists.
San Diego State shot better from the floor (44.3%-37.7%) and from deep (41.2%-23.3%) while Boise State was better from the free throw line (84.0%-62.5%). The Aztecs won the rebounding battle (39-29) and had more steals (7-4). SDSU scored more points in the paint (30-22) and on second opportunities (21-9).
THE NOTE
In their last 38 games immediately following a defeat, the Aztecs are 34-4.
SDSU returns home to Viejas Arena this week to take on Air Force on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on FS1 and San Diego Sports 760.