Boise State pulls out close home victory over SDSU

BOISE, Idaho -- Derrick Marks scored 27 points, Anthony Drmic finished with 23 and Boise State led from start to finish Saturday in a 69-65 victory over San Diego State.

Marks scored 22 of his 27 in the second half and the Broncos (21-9, 9-7 Mountain West) held off a comeback attempt by the San Diego State to earn a split of the season series.

The teams will play Wednesday in a conference tournament quarterfinal in Las Vegas.

Marks finished with six assists, nine rebounds and blocked two shots - including a San Diego State layup attempt in the final minute - to help Boise State hang on for the victory. The Aztecs, which trailed by as many as 15 points in the second half, had pulled within 66-63 with 26 seconds left on a 3-pointer by Chase Tapley, who had 17.

Xavier Thames led San Diego State (21-9, 9-7) with 18 points while Jamaal Franklin added 15 points and 13 rebounds. San Diego State made only 3 of 16 shots from 3-point range, including 0 of 7 in the first half when Boise State took a 31-19 lead.

Drmic scored 11 of his 23 points in the first half, when he sank three of his four 3-pointers in the game. Boise State won despite shooting only 40 percent from the field and 26.3 percent from 3-point range.

No other Boise State player scored more than six points, but senior Kenny Buckner pulled down 11 rebounds in the final home game of his career.