Blame it on the Grinch. Or maybe it was too much eggnog over the holiday break. But
San Diego State lost a game they seemingly had in their grasp on Saturday, falling to Utah State 67-66.
“Well, that’s the Mountain West,” said head coach Brian Dutcher after the game.
Dutcher and his players credited Utah State on the comeback win – Tucker Anderson hit a 3-pointer with less than 7 seconds left to put the Aggies ahead – but said the loss is one that that could be expected against a tough team that plays good defense.
? Highlights from @USUBasketball's 67-66 win against San Diego State pic.twitter.com/zmXPFqLUrk
— Mountain West (@MountainWest) December 29, 2024
“All these games are going to be hard,” Dutcher said, “We know that. We played a good, really good Mountain West basketball team.”
The Aztecs (8-2, 1-0 MW) entered the game at Viejas Arena on a hot streak, having won five in a row and six of seven. That lifted them three spots to No. 20 in the Associated Press Top 25. The Aggies, meanwhile, (11-1, 1-0 MW) are enjoying their fifth best start in their history.
The nationally televised game was the first in seven days for the Aztecs, since before
Christmas. But there was no initial sluggishness. Instead, they broke out of their pattern of slow starts and raced out to a 7-0 lead, highlighted by a three pointer by starting guard Miles Byrd.
That forced Utah State to burn a timeout early as the Aztecs pushed their lead to 13-7. Both teams engaged in a turnover party, befitting the holidays, gifting each other the ball over a series of possessions.
At the nine-minute mark, the Aztecs grabbed their biggest lead, thanks to an inside dish to forward Pharaoh Compton, who dunked. That was followed seconds later by a three
pointer by Byrd to make it 25-12 Aztecs.
The Aztec defense continued to clamp down on the Aggies. The team forced nine turnovers, building off those mistakes to keep the lead in double digits through most of the first half.
The offense was varied, with eight different Aztecs scoring before the break, led by Byrd with 12 points. Right behind him were Compton with eight and guard Taj DeGourville with six, helping the Aztecs to a 43-32 advantage at the half.
“We were very dominant in the first half,” said Byrd. “We showed a glimpse of what kind of team we think we have.”
At the start of the second half, the Aggies quickly pulled to within three at 45-42. But just as the Aggies had shortened the lead to the lowest margin since the opening seconds of the game, the Aztecs bounced back.
It started with a steal and a layup by guard Nick Boyd. Then a foul on Utah State gave the
Aztecs the ball, and a driving, slashing attack by Boyd led to another basket. A block by forward Jared Coleman-Jones and a layup by forward Miles Heide pushed the score back up to 51-44.
But the Aggies wouldn’t go away, cutting the lead to two points with a little over 10 minutes to go. It didn’t help the Aztecs that Byrd, the team’s leading scorer, picked up his fourth foul and had to go to the bench.
By the time Byrd came back in, the Aztecs were clinging to a one-point lead with 6:21 to go.
The Aggies would eventually take the lead, but the Aztecs fought back with, of all things, free throws, as Coleman-Jones, Boyd and guard Wayne McKinney III were perfect from the line to give the Aztecs a 65-58 lead.
But a controversial foul call on Byrd and a three-pointer from Aggie forward Anderson cut the lead to just one point with 1:14 left.
Boyd followed by sinking one of two free throws and Coleman-Jones rebounded the missed free throw, but the Aztecs couldn’t capitalize. Anderson then hit his key three from the corner and McKinney missed a shot as time expired.
Despite the tough loss, Dutcher and his players said they will keep looking forward.
Byrd said the loss will “sting a little bit.” But he added, “We’re going to stay together as a team. We’re not going to let this get us off our path.”
Added Dutcher: “We have a good team. We played a team that is good too.”
NOTES: This was the 31 st meeting between the two teams, with the Aztecs leading the series 20-10 … Magoon Gwath entered the game ranked second in the nation in blocks per game with 3.4. He had just one Saturday … Next up for the Aztecs is a road game at Boise State at 1 p.m. Jan. 4. The game is scheduled to be broadcast on CBS.
