Boise State moves to top of Mountain West with sweep of Aztecs
Boise State overcame a lot of history Saturday night to earn what could prove to be a milestone victory at San Diego State.
The Broncos won for the first time at San Diego State 56-46 and ended the Aztecs’ 29-game home court winning streak as well as their 47-game home winning streak when leading at halftime at Viejas Arena. It was the first road win against a ranked opponent for the Broncos since 2012 and only the second win against a ranked opponent in 20 such games under coach Leon Rice.
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The victory gave Boise State a season sweep in the series with Aztecs. So while the teams are tied atop the Mountain West standings, the Broncos hold an edge. That advantage is buoyed by the fact that Boise State’s final two regular season games are against San Jose State and Fresno State while the Aztecs must face tougher challenges against UNLV and Nevada.
Boise State’s win was even more impressive because it played a midweek game against New Mexico while San Diego State had a week off to prepare. The Broncos have won 12 of their past 13 games after starting conference play in an 0-3 hole.
San Diego State played without senior Dwayne Polee who suffered a setback in his battle with an irregular heartbeat. The Aztecs just couldn’t put the ball through the net in the final minutes. They missed eight of their final nine shots in the game and scored only three points in the final five minutes.
Senior guard Derrick Marks scored 18 for Boise State and forward James Webb III had a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds, but the Broncos bench might have made the difference with four players combined to score 19 points against one of the best defensive teams in the nation.
The victory at San Diego State was the fourth first-time road win of the season for the Broncos. Prior to this season they had never won at New Mexico, Utah State, UNLV or San Diego State. Now Rice can boast of wins at each of those road venues.
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[Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo
