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Rice sparks Boise State past No. 18 San Diego State, 66-60

NCAA Basketball: New Mexico at Boise State

Feb 22, 2023; Boise, Idaho, USA; Boise State Broncos guard Max Rice (12) dribbles against New Mexico Lobos guard Jamal Mashburn Jr. (left) during the second half at ExtraMile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brian Losness-USA TODAY Sports

Brian Losness-USA TODAY Sports

BOISE, Idaho - Max Rice scored 26 points and reeled off 12 straight points in a 14-0 run to close out the game and Boise State beat No. 18 San Diego State 66-60 on Tuesday night.

The Broncos (23-7, 13-4 Mountain West Conference) avenged a 20-point loss to San Diego State on Feb. 3 and remained perfect at home in conference play. It was the Broncos’ first win over a ranked team this season.

San Diego State (23-6, 14-3), which had already claimed a share of the conference crown with its buzzer-beating win over New Mexico on Saturday, failed to hold onto a late nine-point lead.

With the Aztecs staked to a comfortable 60-52 lead with 4:48 remaining, Rice took over.

Playing in what could be his final home game on senior night, Rice hit a free throw before sinking a trio of 3-pointers to give Boise State a 62-60 lead, its first since the 17:01 mark of the second half.

Then on the Aztecs’ next possession, Rice stole a pass at mid-court and drove in for a layup, sending the Boise State crowd into a frenzy.

Marcus Shaver Jr., who missed the first meeting between the two teams with a right ankle injury, hit two free throws to push the lead to six in the final minute.

San Diego State couldn’t hit a shot over its final two possessions and the Broncos ran out the clock, resulting in the Boise State fans storming the court.

Tyson Degenhart scored 14 for Boise State, while Naje Smith added 10.

Matt Bradley paced San Diego State with 16 points, and Micah Parrish chipped in 11.

San Diego State can still win the regular-season conference title outright with a victory against Mountain West cellar dwellers Wyoming on Saturday.

UP NEXT

San Diego State: Hosts Wyoming on Saturday.

Boise State: Plays at Utah State on Saturday.