SAN DIEGO, CA – FEBRUARY 01: San Diego State guard Nick Boyd (2) handles the ball in the first half of a college basketball game between the Wyoming Cowboys and the San Diego State Aztecs on February 1, 2025, at Viejas Arena in San Diego, California (Photo by Tony Ding/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Basketball coaches are adamant that, if they have a good shooter on their team, they will never tell that player to stop shooting, no matter how bad of a slump the player might be in.
Aztecs guard Nick Boyd is a good shooter, but over the last three games he'd missed nine straight 3-point attempts. SDSU head coach Brian Dutcher didn't tell his guy to dial it back and on Saturday night Boyd's touch returned. The lefty made 10 of the 14 shots he took (including 2-5 from 3-point range) and finished with a game-high 24 points in a critical 64-47 win over Boise State that has massive NCAA Tournament ramifications.
While Boyd handled the offense the entire Aztecs roster asserted itself on defense. The Broncos shot 33% for the game and went a scant 3-18 from the 3-point arc. SDSU blocked 10 shots, half of them be redshirt freshman center Magoon Gwath. As is usually the case when the Aztecs win, one big run was the difference.
SDSU outscored BSU 14-0 over a 6:19 stretch that bridged the 1st and 2nd halves, turning an 18-17 Broncos lead into a 31-18 Aztecs advantage that the visitors were never able to recover from.
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San Diego State and Boise State came into the night sitting squarely on the dreaded March Madness bubble. This win gives the Aztecs the season sweep and just a little more breathing room if they end up needing an at-large berth to the NCAA Tourney.
