AZTECS WIN THRILLER AGAINST BOISE STATE IN THREE OVERTIMES, 110-107

Aztecs lose lead, but keep composure as the Aztecs and Broncos play to a classic three-overtime game. 

In a game that seemed to last for an eternity, San Diego State held on to defeat Boise State at Viejas Center on Saturday night 110-107. In a game that lasted three hours, the ending was not assured until an emotional coaster ride of emotions and lead changes. The long game delayed the tear down and stage setting for a Duran Duran concert that was to be held the next day. No one was about to upset the dynamic game that was being played though. The Aztecs nearly blew a 24 point lead and nearly lost the game on several occasions. The game had something for everyone. There were 23 ties or lead changes, 51 fouls, 63 free throws, 73 rebounds and 151 shots. The Aztecs (9-4, 3-0 MWC) finally prevailed in the schools first triple-overtime victory. Boise State (9-5, 1-2) showed they would not cave despite the large first half lead. They jumped ahead in the first overtime, but gave up two Aztec three point baskets within the last 11 seconds to take it to the second overtime. BJ Davis led the Aztecs with 22 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and four steals went from the top of the mountain to the bottom and back up again. He had key baskets and turnovers, adding to the individual and collective efforts. In the final overtime, Reese Dixon-Waters and Elzie Harrington put in free throws to give the Aztecs a three point lead and a sigh of relief could be heard as the Broncos Andrew Meadow missed a three-pointer for the tie. Game over. 

The Aztecs were snakebit earlier in the season when they lost in double overtime to Troy. That night, in front of 10,295 loud and loyal fans, the Aztecs and Broncos provided an exciting and memorable game. 

“An incredible game, a hard-fought game,” Coach Brian Dutcher said. “You have to get beyond how it looked all the time, You must have to look and see how gritty and tough it was. There was a certain level of toughness out there, and unless you sat and witnessed it, no stats will show that.”

The Aztecs clicked and something was brewing as the first half fell the Aztecs way. Coming into the game after a less than inspiring against a depleted San Jose State team, they put all things together, showing they were champions. They built what seemed an insurmountable lead using a 19-1 halfway through the first half. The Broncos were held without a basket for over 8 minutes, missing 12 straight shots. The second half saw a flip of the script as the Broncos got hot, hitting 56.3% from the field. They were led by transfer Javan Buchanan who contributed 29 points to lead all scorers. 

“Our offense was really spread in the first half, and we moved so well that we attacked at the rim like crazy,” Dutcher said. “It was fun to watch. The second half, they tightened up defensively, we couldn’t get in the paint as easily and when they did they were blocking shots and walling up. Everything got harder. Once you lose rhythm, it’s hard to get it back. I don’t know if we ever got it. We just gutted it out….We’ve got some fight about us. Now we just have to get better execution in certain parts of the game.”

The Aztecs were led by BJ Davis with 22 points, Elzie Harrington added 20 and Reece Dixon-Waters added 16. Javan Buchanan led the Broncos with 29 points, while Andrew Meadow added 25. The 110 points scored ties for the 12th most in the school’s Division I history. 

The Aztecs travel to Reno to take on Nevada Tuesday which pits two teams that are 3-0 in conference play. Utah State is the other team at 3-0. The Aggies are in play against Air Force. New Mexico travels to Colorado State, UNLV is on the road against Wyoming and Fresno State travels to San Jose to take on the Spartans. Early betting lines show Nevada a 1.5 point favorite, largely due to the home court advantage. The season has already seen some exciting games. There’s plenty of ball left to be seen. Any odds if we will see another triple overtime game this season?