BOISE – Boise State coach Leon Rice wasn’t sure how to describe what happened in the final five minutes Tuesday night at ExtraMile Arena.
“I don’t know,” Rice said. “What a credit to our guys to hang in there and not get our heads down and keep getting ourselves off the ground. Every run they made we tried to counter and we just made enough big plays down the stretch.”
Max Rice had 26 points and Boise State picked up a huge Quad 1 win with a 66-60 comeback win against No. 18 San Diego State.
Boise State ended the game on a 14-0 run to stun the first-place Aztecs after trailing for much of the game. A sellout crowd of 12,208 was loud throughout as the Broncos rallied for a win that likely cements their status in the NCAA Tournament.
“What am amazing atmosphere,” Leon Rice said. “Maybe the loudest I think it’s ever been in here. And it certainly helped our guys.”
Max Rice hit three huge 3-pointers down the stretch. He banked in a 3-pointer to pull the Broncos within one, and hit another step-back 3 to give the Broncos the lead with a little over two minutes to go.
Boise State, which entered the game squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble, should be good to make the NCAA Tournament despite what happens down the stretch after beating a top-20 team in Boise for the first time in 20-plus years.
“It was an amazing moment,” Leon Rice said. “I don’t remember a better win in here.”
Fans stormed the court after the game as the Broncos celebrated a win on Senior Night.
Tyson Degenhart had 14 points and Naje Smith had 10 for the Broncos, who out-rebounded the Aztecs 35-24 on the glass after getting out-rebounded by 21 three days earlier in an upset loss at San Jose State.
So did Boise State punch its ticket to the NCAA Tournament last night? Leon Rice thinks so.
“It sure feels like it,” Rice said. “This gives you another Quad 1 win and does great things for your numbers. You’ve got to think so.”
Boise State will finish the regular season Saturday at Utah State before heading to Las Vegas for the conference tournament.
“It was a magical senior night,” Rice said. “You couldn’t script a better senior night for those guys to get that win and to go out and play their last game here that way.”
