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Franklin's buzzer-beater knocks off Boise State

Mar 9, 2012 - 5:55 AM Las Vegas, NV (Sports Network) - Jamaal Franklin's three-pointer as time expired lifted No. 18 San Diego State over Boise State, 65-62, in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Conference Tournament.

Franklin, who was the Mountain West Conference's player of the year, finished with 19 points and five rebounds, while Chase Tapley added 20 points and four assists for the Aztecs (25-6), who earned their fifth straight win.

"I'm just thankful and blessed that my teammates have the courage to give me the ball at the end of the game," Franklin said.

San Diego State will face Colorado State in the semifinals.

Anthony Drmic had team-highs of 19 points and seven rebounds for Boise State (13-17), which dropped its fifth consecutive contest.

"We're going to be back next year. We'll just play harder, play more together and hopefully get more wins next year," said Drmic.

It was a one-possession game over the first seven-plus minutes of the first half until Derrick Marks' three-pointer sparked a 17-9 run by Boise State to jump out to a 26-17 lead with a little under seven minutes left in the half.

The Aztecs, though, responded with a 13-2 swing that included three shots from beyond the arc to take a 30-28 advantage with a minute and a half to play.

But San Diego State would not score again in the half and a Marks jumper followed by Kenny Buckner's layup gave the Broncos a 32-30 lead at the break.

The back-and-forth affair continued in the second half until 13-2 run by San Diego State that included seven straight points by Tapley gave the Aztecs a 52-44 advantage just past the midpoint of the frame.

The lead stretched to double digits, 57-46, on Tapley's three-pointer with less than seven minutes remaining in the game before the Broncos stormed back, reeling off a 12-3 spurt to close the gap to two, 60-58, with a little over a minute left on Marks' three-point play.

Franklin's driving layup on the other end put the Aztecs back on top by four before Drmic sank a pair of foul shots to make 62-60 with 37 seconds showing on the clock.

Boise State then used a full-court press on the in-bounds pass that resulted in a Tapley turnover and Thomas Bropleh's layup with 27 seconds left to knot the game at 62.

Coming out of a timeout, San Diego State opted to hold the ball for the final shot. Franklin received a pass on the left wing before moving to the top of the key and throwing up a shot while double-teamed that fell through as the buzzer sounded for the win.

"I believed in myself," said Franklin. "I always practice the last shot. When it left my hand, I felt it was going to go in."

Game Notes

San Diego State recorded its fourth straight season with at least 25 wins...The Aztecs have won 65 of their last 68 games against unranked foes...Boise State held a 31-22 advantage on the glass...San Diego State shot 51.1 percent from the floor, including a 9-for-16 mark from beyond the arc...Boise State shot 43.1 percent in the game.