San Diego State defeated crosstown rival UC San Diego 78-57 Wednesday, building a big first-half lead that the Tritons couldn’t overcome.
The Aztecs (8-3) jumped ahead 6-0 at Viejas Arena, thanks to Nathan Mensah, who opened the game with a jumper, followed by a hook shot. UCSD (6-5) pulled within three at the 12-minute mark, but the SDSU’s advantage would swell to as much as 17.
A Bryce Pope layup cut San Diego State’s lead to 45-30 going into the half. Mensah and Adam Seiko led the Aztecs with 11 points over the period, while Pope put in 10.
Mensah stayed hot, finishing with 19 points, a career high, as SDSU’s lead rose to 27 with a minute left to play. Head coach Brian Dutcher told XTRA 1360 Mensah played a “really really strong game.”
Triton Jake Kosakowski made two three-pointers to narrow the deficit to 21 at game’s end as he led UCSD with 18 points.
Matt Bradley and Keshad Johnson added 13 each for the Aztecs. Trey Pulliam managed seven assists in 33 minutes of play despite battling a non-COVID infection. Dutcher told XTRA he required IV-treatment prior to the game to be able to play.
San Diego State takes a break for the holiday before resuming play at 6 p.m. Tuesday at home against San Diego Christian. That’s their final game before Mountain West play begins Jan. 1 when the Aztecs travel to face UNLV.
UCSD, meanwhile, has a layoff through Dec. 30, when they take on UC Santa Barbara at RIMAC Arena in their Big West opener.
