Boise State Defeats San Diego State in Mountain West Showdown

Broncos' dominant rebounding performance leads to 86-77 win over Aztecs

Published on Mar. 4, 2026

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The Boise State men's basketball team led wire-to-wire in an 86-77 Mountain West home victory over San Diego State. Junior center Drew Fielder scored a career-high 33 points and grabbed 9 rebounds, while the Broncos out-rebounded the Aztecs 37-15 and snagged 12 offensive boards.

Why it matters

This was a key conference matchup between two teams on the NCAA Tournament bubble, with Boise State and San Diego State both looking to bolster their postseason resumes. The Broncos' dominant rebounding performance was a major factor in the win.

The details

Boise State jumped out to an early lead and never trailed, thanks in large part to their work on the glass. The Broncos' 12 offensive rebounds led to 21 second-chance points. Junior center Drew Fielder had a career night, scoring 33 points and drawing 12 fouls. Javan Buchanan added 17 points and 4 rebounds for Boise State.

  • The game was played on Tuesday, March 4, 2026.

The players

Drew Fielder

Boise State junior center who scored a career-high 33 points and grabbed 9 rebounds.

Javan Buchanan

Boise State guard who scored 17 points and had 4 rebounds.

Reese Dixon-Waters

San Diego State player who led the Aztecs with 23 points.

Leon Rice

Boise State head coach.

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What they’re saying

“I'm just so proud of the way we approached this game and the way we came out. The story that we talked about before the game was rebounding. And we out-rebounded San Diego State 37-15, maybe the biggest margin we've ever had on them.”

— Leon Rice, Boise State Head Coach (si.com)

“That's who we're becoming, and we're a good rebounding team. We knew they're usually a great rebounding team, and that was a key thing for us. Because you can't get a lot at the bucket when they're playing big like that. They come and help and they don't let you have layins, so you might end up taking a lot of outside shots, which we've got to go get those rebounds when we do.”

— Leon Rice, Boise State Head Coach (si.com)

“We're buying in on everything. We're buying in on our rebounding … our defense is getting better. We played some pretty darn good D to start that game, and that got us the lead and that got us to be able to be in the position we were with our defense.”

— Leon Rice, Boise State Head Coach (si.com)

What’s next

With one game remaining in the Mountain West regular season, both Boise State and San Diego State are on the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble and will be looking to strengthen their postseason resumes in their final conference matchups.

The takeaway

Boise State's dominant rebounding performance, led by a career night from junior center Drew Fielder, was the key factor in the Broncos' statement win over San Diego State. The victory keeps Boise State in the hunt for a potential at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.