BOISE, Idaho – With 1.7 seconds left on the clock, Abu Kigab went to the free-throw line down by one with a chance to win the game. He coolly sank both, pushing Boise State past San Diego State, 58-57, Tuesday night at ExtraMile Arena.
After a missed go-ahead 3-point attempt by the Broncos (22-6, 13-2 MW), Matt Bradley of the Aztecs (17-7, 9-4 MW) was fouled on the rebound and went to the other end to shoot two free throws with a one-point lead in hand. Bradley missed on both attempts, and Kigab took the ball from the other end where he was fouled while driving to the basket, setting up the game-winning attempts.
Kigab finished the night with a game-high 21 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field and a 9-of-11 effort from the free throw line.
After the Aztecs jumped out to an 8-2 lead to start the game, the Broncos inserted Naje Smith into the game. Smith injected life into Boise State, racking up five points, three steals and a block in his first six minutes to spark a turnaround for the Blue and Orange.
Boise State went on an 18-2 run – including 10-straight points from Smith and Marcus Shaver, Jr. – over seven-plus minutes to build a 25-14 lead. After a four-point play from Smith near the end of the half, the Broncos entered the break on top, 30-20.
Smith finished the game with 13 points, a career-high four steals and two blocks. Shaver finished the night with 12 points, three steals and a team-high-tying seven rebounds.
San Diego State grabbed its first lead since 10:40 in the first half with a 3-pointer to make it 55-53 with just over a minute remaining in the game. Akot responded on the ensuing possession to put the Broncos back in front, 56-55. On the other end, an inbound play from the Aztecs ended in an alley-oop to Nathan Mensah, giving San Diego State a one-point lead to set up the game-ending sequence.
Both teams entered the game ranked in the top-10 nationally in scoring defense, each limiting their opponents to less than 60 points per game. The Broncos have held 15 opponents to fewer than 60 points this season, the most in a campaign during the Leon Rice era.
Boise State and San Diego State have played 25 times since the Broncos joined the MW for the 2011-12 season, with 15 of the contests being decided by single digits, and nine decided by three-or-fewer points. This is only the second time Boise State has swept San Diego State in a season, and is the first since 2014-15.
Next up for Boise State is a game at UNLV, set for Saturday (Feb. 26) at 8 p.m. MT. The game will be nationally televised by CBS Sports Network.
