San Diego State, led by Jaedon LeDee and Micah Parrish, rode a second-half surge Monday to a 83-57 season-opening win over a pesky and physical Cal State Fullerton team.
No. 17 SDSU is ready to turn the page, shifting the focus to a new season, but there was still some pomp and circumstance set aside to celebrate the team’s massive success in 2022-23.
Head coach Brian Dutcher and the current Aztecs watched as banners were raised in Viejas Arena, not only to celebrate last year’s Mountain West titles, but also their first time in the Final Four at the NCAA Tournament.
Dutcher expressed his gratitude for Monday’s atmosphere at Viejas – “it was fantastic” – but also told San Diego Sports 760 “our eyes are on the future and what we’re going to do this year.”
To that end, San Diego State jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the opening four minutes of the game only to see the advantage evaporate. The Titans at the half had drawn within two, 37-35.
Both sides were dogged by turnovers in the opening half – eight each. Neither team was hot from three-point distance, with both hitting just four – on 18 attempts by SDSU and 14 by Cal State Fullerton.
The Titans pulled within one just after the break, then LeDee took over, as the Aztecs outscored their opponents 46-22 in the second half.
Of LeDee, who scored 27, a new career high, and added 10 rebounds, Dutcher said, “Jaedon’s gonna be a handful for everybody this year.”
Parrish overcame early foul trouble to have 17 points, five of them on three-pointers, and the transfer Reese Waters, meanwhile, made a strong impression in his SDSU debut, with 15 points.
Next up is BYU, at 6 p.m. Friday, on the road, where the Cougars have given the Aztecs fits – SDSU is 4-30 in Provo. And BYU opened with an even more lopsided win Monday, routing Houston Christian 110-63.
For Dutcher though, the early challenge will be formative for his team, particularly for players like Elijah Saunders and Miles Byrd who will be on the court far more this year.
“I want to see how battle tough and tested we are,” he said.
