March 10, 2017
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W.G. Ramirez, Mountain West Writer
LAS VEGAS - After needing to erase a 21-point deficit against UNLV in the opening round of the Mountain West Men's Basketball Championship on Wednesday night, San Diego State went into Thursday's quarterfinal on a mission.
So when the sixth-seeded Aztecs fell behind No. 3 seed Boise State by six late in the first half, they had seen enough.
Led by junior forward Malik Pope, the Aztecs (19-13) closed the half on a 13-2 run and never looked back, as they eliminated the Broncos with an 87-68 victory and advanced to the semifinals for the 10th consecutive season.
San Diego State improved to 10-4 all-time against Boise State, including a perfect 3-0 in the Mountain West tournament. It was the Broncos' worst setback since losing by 21 to Nevada on Jan. 25.
"We finally in the second half got a few stops, got a little separation, played smart," San Diego State coach Steve Fisher said. "It's obvious that Malik was a pretty hard guy to guard. And we did a good job of finding him.
"We played the best we played all year, and we picked a nice time to do it. This was a good college basketball game. And we are moving on tomorrow, play a team that's beaten us twice."
Pope finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds before exiting with what appeared to be an injury to his left knee. Pope walked off the court on his own. Max Hoetzel added 21 points for the Aztecs, while Trey Kell and Jeremy Hemsley each scored 10.
"I'm fine, it was real minor," said Pope, about his knee. "Still talking with the doc. Everything should be good. I'm not sure if it's a minor hyperextension, but it should be good. It's nothing to be worried about for me or my teammates or Coach Fish."
San Diego State carried its defensive momentum over from the second half of its game with UNLV, to stymie the Broncos (19-11) at critical times in the game, while gradually increasing its lead to put the game out of reach.
Boise State made its last push early in the second half, when Nick Duncan's 3-pointer at the 17:25 mark cut San Diego State's lead to 46-44. Pope answered with a 3-pointer of his own, sparking a 21-9 run that extended the Aztecs lead to 67-53, and served as the knockout punch.
"We were down in that first game (against UNLV), we played and we fought back," Hemsley said. "And this game we gave them I think five or six 3's in the first half. And I think they only got two in the second half. It's a fight. It's not anything we really need to be relieved about. We're basketball players and that's what we need to do. We need to fight.
"Whatever the outcome is, if it's a win or loss, it's something we have to deal with. If we do a good job of fighting and never giving up, then everything will work out."
Boise State was led by Paris Austin and Nick Duncan, who each had 15 points, while Alex Hobbs scored 12 and James Reid added 10. Chandler Hutchison, who finished with eight points, became the first player in program history with 500 points, 200 rebounds and 75 assists in a season.
"Don't mean to break down up here, but these guys are amazing," an emotional Boise State Leon Rice said. "And no matter what circumstances they face they're always amazing. They step up for me when I don't want to be up here talking about it, because it was a tough way to end the season.
And just, it's a group I'm really, really proud of that I coached. And you can see why. Apologize for breaking down, but this is a special group led by some pretty amazing guys, these seniors."
The Broncos finish their season 19-11, but remain hopeful for an invite to a postseason tournament.
"It would be great to get one more," Duncan said. "Love the coaching staff and all the players I played with. Sad to go out like this. I thought this was a pretty special group. We worked so hard, being such a young group. And obviously picked 7th and 5th, and doubted all year.
"We've got some special guys on the team that can change the Boise State program and change the culture, and that's what we've done this year, and it's only the beginning, I think. I firmly believe that this team will be back next year. And these games are getting better. I love my school. I always will. Hopefully I can get one more, wherever that is. But I just love everybody at the Boise State community."