Ho hum. Another poor first half for San Diego State followed by a furious comeback
in the second half to win the game.

The Aztecs did it again Tuesday at Viejas Arena, overcoming a first-half deficit that grew
as large as 21 to stage another frantic comeback and beat San Jose State 71-68.

“Heck of a basketball game,” said Coach Brian Dutcher. “I’ve said this is as gritty team. They’ve got a lot of grit about them. They had it again tonight. Got 21 down and found a way to fight their way back.”

The Aztecs came in on a modest two-game winning streak with a record of 13-5 (6-3 in the
Mountain West) to face a Spartan team that was 10-11 (3-6, MW). But San Jose State hung tough with a rival, New Mexico State, two weeks ago and handed the Lobos their only loss in conference play.

The game started promising for the Aztecs when sophomore forward Miles Heide went up for a dunk off a pass from freshman forward Magoon Gwath. But the Spartans, clearly ready to give SDSU fits too, went on an 8-0 run over the next minute-plus, fueled by two 3-pointers from senior guard Josh Uduje.

Uduje would add another three later and so would guard Donovan Yap. It all led to an early 14-8 advantage for San Jose State. The Spartans pushed a fast pace up and down the court, out-rebounding the Aztecs and extending their lead to 22-10 with eight minutes gone.

The Aztecs looked like they were in trouble. A harassing San Jose defense led to one stretch where the Aztecs turned the ball over three consecutive times. They had 10 turnovers in the first 12 minutes of the game.

Meanwhile, the Spartans went on their second big run, this one 12-0 over four minutes. The Spartans had opened up a 19-point lead, forcing Coach Brian Dutcher to call a
timeout amid boos from the home crowd.

After the timeout, the Aztecs rallied, with Gwath leading the way. He jammed a shot for two points, stole the ball and went up for a slam for two more, then hit a 3-pointer to bring the crowd back into the game.

The Aztecs fought to within 10 points, at 33-23. But San Jose got a three from their big man, 7-foot, 2-inch Chol Marial, to keep their lead from falling below double digits, 36-23.

Gwath, who led all Aztecs in scoring with 24 points, kept giving his team crucial baskets,
including two free throws and a slam dunk off an alley oop pass from freshman Taj
DeGourville.

But a hot Spartans team didn’t slow down, shooting at a 56% clip on 3-pointers, more than double the Aztecs’ 25%. At halftime, San Jose held a 41-29 lead.

SDSU forward Magoon Gwath was the highest scorer on the floor.
SDSU forward Magoon Gwath was the highest scorer for the Aztecs against San Jose State Tuesday. (Photo by Chris Stone/Times of San Diego)

At the start of the second half, the Aztecs cut their deficit, 41-34. But a resilient San Jose team continued nailing 3-pointers to go build the lead back to 49-37. Every time the Aztecs closed the score, San Jose would respond with a three to keep their opponent at bay.

With 11:25 left, the Aztecs showed some life as freshman Pharaoh Compton went up for a
thunderous slam dunk that got the crowd roaring again and made the score 57-45. But with about nine minutes left in the game, Aztecs fans were frustrated again when a Byrd 3-pointer was followed by a Spartans three.

Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

Still, the Aztecs wouldn’t go away and then it happened in a flash – a 3-pointer from guard
Nick Boyd, a three by Byrd, a layup by Gwath and another three by Byrd – for a 13-0 run by the Aztecs in a 4:18 stretch.

Suddenly, the Aztecs had a 63-62 lead with about five minutes left in the game.

An off-balance shot by Boyd was followed by a Gwath layup. But a San Jose State basket kept the score tight at 68-65 Aztecs. A spectacular shot by Byrd with his back to the basket pushed the Aztec lead to 70-65 with under a minute to go.

San Jose State made one last run, with guard Latrell Davis pouring in a 3-pointer. But that
would be their last score as the seconds ticked away.

After it was over, Byrd admitted, “it was ugly in the first half.”

Gwath likened the comeback to a fight, saying the Aztecs got socked in the mouth in the first half.

“And you know, we all regrouped,” he said. “We regrouped together and we came back in a
hard fought win.”

NOTES: Gwath was named Mountain West Freshman of the Week after averaging a double-double in two road victories last week. He averaged 12 points and 10 rebounds in
addition to 2 blocks, 1.5 assists and 1 steal …The Aztecs wore their red uniforms for just the 25th time in their last 502 games .…The Aztecs entered ranked ninth in the nation in blocks per game at 5.7, through Jan. 25 … SDSU hosts Wyoming (11-10, 4-6 MW) at 5 p.m. Saturday. The Cowboys beat Fresno State Tuesday.