In the wake of an upset win over Nevada, San Jose State (7-20, 2-14 MW) walked into ExtraMile Arena on Saturday afternoon searching for some consolation history; their first-ever road win over Boise State (16-11 8-8 MW) and a program-first victory in Boise after 23 straight losses on the Broncos’ home floor.
Instead, they ran into a team that was simply too big, too tough, and too deep.
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The final numbers tell the story. Boise State shot 54.5% from the field and a blistering 63% in the second half, outpacing the Spartans in a convincing 84-69 win.
San Jose State, meanwhile, shot 43.3% overall and just 4-of-23 (17.4%) from beyond the arc. It was a stark contrast from their season-high 15 made threes on the Wolf Pack just days earlier.
Yet for stretches, the Spartans hung tough.
After both teams opened the game with turnovers, Adrian Myers electrified early with a one-handed dunk in the lane.
Boise responded with force.
Dylan Andrews knocked down a three during an 8-0 surge, and the Broncos eventually strung together a punishing 17-0 run.
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San Jose State endured nearly a five-minute scoring drought before Myers attacked again, finishing through contact to stop the bleeding.
Colby Garland, playing his fifth consecutive 40-minute game, kept the Spartans within striking distance.
Garland missed his first three triples but settled in with mid-range confidence, scoring 10 in the first-half, as SJSU trimmed a 15-point deficit to five.
At halftime, Boise led 36-31, shooting 46% compared to the Spartans’ 38%.
The Spartans tried to answer.
Freshman Japhet Moupadele’s first three of the night cut the margin to five. Sadraque Nganga followed with a left-wing triple. A breakaway dunk-and-one from Melvin Bell Jr. capped a stretch where SJS forced turnovers on Boise and showed grit on the glass.
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But depth matters. Boise rotates nine players averaging 14 minutes a game. San Jose State, effectively running a six-man rotation due to injuries, looked fatigued late.
18:54 of the second-half, Garland etched his name further into Spartan history.
A strong drive to the basket pushed Garland past 1,000 career points and then 1,001 — marking his sixth straight 20-plus-point performance. Garland finished with 22 points.
Myers was equally relentless with a game-high 23 points and eight rebounds for his second straight 20-plus point outing.
Still, Boise’s breadth and physicality took over.
After SJSU trimmed the deficit to two, the Broncos erupted for a 7-0 run out of a timeout, then later a 10-0 stretch fueled by deft three-point shooting and fast-break execution.
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Boise hit 9-of-24 from deep (37.5 percent) and dominated bench production 19-0. In the second half alone, the Broncos scored 48 points.
San Jose State fought. They crashed the offensive boards. They attacked the paint. But in the final five minutes, turnovers and tired legs allowed Boise to pull away to its largest lead of 21.
In the end, this one wasn’t about lack of effort for the Spartans. It was about the Bronco’s size, depth and efficiency.
Boise State simply had more answers.
