Boise State Basketball Recap: The Broncos Travel to San Diego

It has been a perplexing season for Boise State basketball. It doesn’t matter if they are playing Fresno State, San Diego State, or Utah State, the result always seems to be the same. On Saturday evening, the Broncos traveled to San Diego to take on one of the best home teams in the Mountain West.

The Broncos had another strong first half against the Aztecs, as the two teams engaged in a gritty, sloppy first half. Boise State was getting solid play from nearly all of their wings, but were hampered by foul trouble. They were able to overcome some bad turnovers early on and enter the half with a 29-25 lead. Then the second half happened.

Boise State again struggled to hit shots in the second half. But it was more than just their inability to put the ball in the basket, the Broncos were manhandled by the Aztecs and were out rebounded 43-25. The poor play of Zach Haney and David Wacker continues to be an issue, as the two posts combined to score five points and six rebounds. The success of the Broncos can be measured by the play of their posts, Haney and Wacker have not played well in the majority of their losses.

After falling behind by double digits late in the second half, the Broncos tried to mount a late comeback, but they could only cut the lead to three. San Diego State was able to hit some clutch free throws, while Boise State only manged to connect on 9 out of 17 attempts. The Broncos were led by Justinian Jessup with 19 points and Derrick Alston with 12 points. The Aztecs had four players in double figures, led by Devin Watson with 19 points and Jalen McDaniels with 18 points.

Boise State has proven they can hang with the best teams in the Mountain West, now they need to prove they can finish games. The Broncos will have another opportunity against a tough opponent next Saturday when they host Utah State at Taco Bell Arena.