ARIZONA PRESENCE IN THE PAINT, AWAKA REBOUNDING ENDS AZTECS UPSET BID.
Saturday night in Phoenix in the Naismith Hall of Fame Series game, the San Diego State Aztecs came out early with a strong physical
presence. Determined to slow down the fast paced Wildcats, the Aztecs made Arizona work for every single point. The Aztecs countered with a smothering defense, holding the Aztecs to 27 points in the first half and completely shutting them down to only 18 in the second half, on their way to a dominating 68-45 win. Koa Peat scored 11 points while Tobe Awaka snagged 15 rebounds as Arizona (11-0) remain unbeaten on the season. San Diego State drops to 6-4. The Aztecs struggled with cold shooting, struggling at a 26% clip from the field and only 1 of 14 from 3-point distance. When you can’t hit the side of a barn, you’re going to lose. The Aztecs were paced by Reese Dixon-Waters with eight points and three rebounds. Miles Byrd contributed seven points. Miles Heide added six more points and five rebounds in a losing effort. Team leading scorer BJ Davis only managed four points on 1-of-12 shooting.
The Aztecs attempted to use their physicality against the Wildcats early on and it worked setting the pace. They made Arizona work for every trip down the court, holding them to only one field goal over a 6 ½ minute stretch while they were constructing a 19-11 lead in the first half. The Wildcats, not to be outdone, finished the first half on an 8-0 run, taking a 28-27 lead into halftime. It was not pretty as Arizona only managed one three point shot on ten attempts and struggled with ten turnovers against an aggressive Aztec defense.
The Wildcat defense continued their harassment in the second half, holding the Aztecs to 3-of-18 shooting whle they built their led to 47-34. The Aztecs didn’t help their cause, missing all seven of their three-point attempts in the second half. The Wildcats outscored SDSU 40-18 in the second half to seal their victory. This obviously was the Aztecs most difficult challenge. Having faced Michigan earlier in the season, and now the Wildcats, should help the Aztecs figure out how to play with blue chip teams by gaining valuable experience. League play is just around the corner and the Aztecs has the rest of the conference right where they want them. The Aztecs return home on Monday for a game against Whittier which will amount to something of a glorified scrimmage.
Around the rest of the Mountain West
It was a busy night Saturday with quite a few Mountain West teams playing and opening league play. Utah State showed they are going to be a class team, destroying Colorado State 100-58. They happened to be the only team leaving the conference next season that won. Grand Canyon, the newest conference addition, jumped out early against Wyoming and cruised to a 82-70 win in Laramie. UNLV turned a tight game into a close one against Fresno State, winning 84-72. New Mexico, fresh off of a successful football campaign, showed why they are one of the best basketball teams, handily beating San Jose State 88-65 and finally, Nevada rumbled with Boise State, coming out on top 81-66. Most teams will be back in action after Christmas, with a full slate on the 30th and on January 3rd. New Mexico travels to Boise State in an early test followed by Boise State and San Diego State on the 3rd in another early conference game.
