Boise State plays suffocating defense, holds on late to knock off San Diego State
Boise State’s Roddie Anderson III missed a dunk with the Broncos leading San Diego State by six points in the final minute of Saturday’s game at ExtraMile Arena, but he flexed on a gaggle of fans and photographers sitting on the baseline anyway.
The points were inconsequential at that moment. When Anderson blew past a San Diego State defender to get to the rim, he sent a clear message: The Broncos couldn’t be stopped.
Boise State led for almost the entire first half, erased a one-point deficit with an 11-4 run in the final 6:00 of regulation and held on late for a 67-66 win over the Aztecs.
Anderson admitted after the game that he should’ve held the ball and burned time off the clock instead of going for the late dunk, but he couldn’t help himself. He said he’s having fun playing basketball again, and that’s paying dividends.
The transfer from UC San Diego finished Saturday’s game with a season-high 14 points. He has scored at least 10 in two of the Broncos’ past three games, including 12 in Boise State’s win at Nevada on Jan. 12.
“Lately, I’ve just been playing basketball and worrying less,” Anderson said. “I’m just trying to make defense fun again, and that’s leading to my offense.”
San Diego State (15-4, 4-2 Mountain West) made the game interesting with two 3-pointers in the final 13 seconds, including one that cut the Broncos’ lead to one with one second left on the clock. But the final horn sounded on Boise State’s fourth Quad 1 win of the season, and a crowd of 11,750 fans roared its approval.
Saturday’s game was broadcast by CBS, making it Boise State’s first regular-season game on network television in program history. It was also the Broncos’ fifth win in their past six meetings with the Aztecs. San Diego State leads the all-time series 18-12.
“All those milestones are important, but it means a lot because of how much respect we have for that program,” Rice said of the Aztecs. “It took every bit of competitive toughness that we have to get it done today.”
The win should loom large for the Broncos (13-5, 4-1 MW), who also have wins over top Mountain West contenders Nevada (15-3, 2-2) and Colorado State (15-3, 3-2). They have games coming up against two more of the conference’s top teams. Boise State hosts No. 16 Utah State (16-2, 4-1) on Jan. 27 and travels to New Mexico on Jan. 31.
“I’m just really proud of our guys because they kept sawing wood and didn’t get discouraged when things didn’t go our way,” Rice said. “This league is grueling. You saw how much emotion goes into each one of these games.”
Stanley led the Broncos with 17 points and added seven rebounds on Saturday. He also went 3-for-3 from 3-point range and was one of seven Boise State players that hit at least one 3-pointer.
“Recently, I’ve been getting double teamed a lot and haven’t been able to get into the paint the way I want to,” Stanley said. “I’m not really worried about scoring, but I’ve been working on that shot since I’ve been here, so it’s not really a surprise.”
A 3-pointer from freshman Andrew Meadow gave the Broncos a 26-16 lead in the first half. San Diego State went on an 11-3 run and pulled within two late in the half, but a 3-pointer from O’Mar Stanley sent the Broncos into halftime with a 34-31 lead.
A 3-pointer by Jace Whiting stretched Boise State’s lead to 39-33 early in the second half, but the Aztecs fought back and took a short-lived lead on a three from Micah Parrish.
In the end, the Broncos responded from Tuesday’s loss to UNLV because of their defense. They held San Diego State without a field goal during an almost 6:00 stretch late in the second half and turned six steals into 11 points.
The Broncos also shut the Aztecs down on the perimeter. San Diego State went 1-for-8 from 3-point range in the first half and finished the game 6-for-24. Boise State was 9-for-24 from beyond the arc.
“We tried to be in the gaps and make them make plays for other people instead of it being a one-on-one game,” Anderson said. “If they were going to attack, they were going to see two or three bodies at a time.”
Tyson Degenhart and Chibuzo Agbo, the team’s top two scorers going into Saturday’s game, both finished with 11 points.
San Diego State’s Jaedon LeDee, who went into the game leading the Mountain West with 21.6 points per night, was held in check. He was limited to two points until the final 4:00 of the first half, and he finished the game with 13. The only other Aztec in double digits was Reese Waters, who finished with 10 points.
“We had to defend him as a team,” Stanley said of LeDee. “He’s a great player, but we just had to play him straight up and be tougher.”
Boise State travels to Fresno State on Tuesday before hosting Utah State on Jan. 27.
This story was originally published January 20, 2024 at 3:09 PM.
