Aztecs dominate in paint and hot shooting to negate a 30 point performance by Spartan star Colby Garland.
San Diego State was in the Bay Area Tuesday evening, visiting the Provident Credit Union Event Center
at San Jose State and in front of 3,585 fans, showed why the Aztecs are one of the better teams in the conference. Behind B.J. Davis and his 18 points, Miles Byrd and Pharoah Compton each hitting for 11, showed the way is not through San Jose, but through San Diego as the Aztecs jump to a 2-0 lead in conference play. Compton also contributed six rebounds as the Aztecs held a 35-29 edge in boards over the Spartans. For San Jose State, it was all Colby Garland as he continues to impress with his stat lines. He had 30 points on 7/21 shooting from the field and 2/11 from beyond the arc and four rebounds. He is averaging over 20 points per game and is an early favorite player to watch for conference scoring leader. The Aztecs shot a blistering 53% from the field and 55% from three point land, carefully crafting each shot to force the Spartans to react on defense. The Aztecs also owned the points in the pain and had a big edge in fast break points. Hot shooting, dominating the boards and the pain and converting turnovers into points are all hallmarks of a successful Aztec basketball team and it was front and center against San Jose State.
The Aztecs held a slim 42-38 lead at halftime as the pesky Spartans kept the game close. Reese Dixon-Waters added 10 points including two from beyond three-point. 11 Aztecs got into the scoring line showing again their depth and ability to rotate in fresh players. The Spartans meanwhile only had six players score, a glaring red flag for their obvious lack of depth. Clearly Colby Garland is the breakout player the Spartans need, but they need the supporting cast to step up to provide an assist.
The Aztecs close out the 2025 calendar year with an 8-4 record, and 2-0 in the Mountain West. They will take a few days off after new years to prepare for a home contest against Boise State on January 3. Boise beat a solid New Mexico team in Idaho, setting up a good showdown with the Aztecs. The Aztecs will next travel to Nevada for a game next Tuesday. Nevada was a winner over Colorado State. San Jose State travels to Utah State on Saturday. The Aggies are a blistering 11-1 on the season after taking down Fresno State 72-63. The other MWC game was Wyoming taking down Air Force, 68-56. The season is obviously pretty young, but it is already apparent who the prime teams are going to be. It’s much like the previous few seasons where we will see San Diego State, Boise State, Utah State, Nevada and New Mexico all fight each other for spots in the NCAA Tournament. This could be another exciting season.
