VS Utah State
SDSU completed their season sweep over Utah State on the road in a close 63-61 game to extend their lead in the Mountain West to 1.5 games. The Aztecs jumped out to a 16-point lead at half but the Aggies made things close late, outscoring SDSU by 14 points in the second half.
Utah State is the nation’s number one 3-point shooting team but in both meetings with the Aztecs, they have shot well below their normal 42%. The Aggies made just five three’s in the matchup and were held to 40.7% shooting from the field.
SDSU was led by senior guard Matt Bradley who was efficient all night with 18 points on 7-10 shooting. Bradley also grabbed six rebounds and added three steals.
“We played well enough, defended well enough, and then Matt Bradley was able to make big important baskets when nothing else was working,” head coach Brian Dutcher said. “Matt looked like the preseason Player of the Year in the conference. To me tonight he was really good.”
SDSU found themselves in unfamiliar territory early as the Aztecs were down through the first seven minutes of the half. After a 3-pointer from Utah State’s leading scorer, Steven Ashworth, the Aggies took a five point lead 13-8.
However, SDSU responded well, going on a 12-0 run over the next 3:00 minutes of play. Senior forward Jaedon Ledee and junior guard Micah Parrish both came off the bench to provide the spark the Aztecs needed to take a seven-point lead.
The two Aztecs combined for 26 points and 16 rebounds off the bench. Ledee had a double-double himself with 14 points and 10 boards, dominating the paint all night.
Midway through the first half, SDSU faced some unprepared adversity as senior guard Darrion Trammell was ejected from the game after an altercation that forced the game to be stopped and referees to issue the ejection.
“Yeah, it was upsetting, but I mean, it’s adversity. We knew that adversity (would) be here,” Ledee said. “So, he went away, you know, we just had to pick it up and pick up the slack.”
After SDSU and Utah State went back and forth trading buckets, the Aztecs took control going on a 14-5 run in the final five minutes and headed into the break with a 16-point lead.
Coming out of halftime, the Aggies came out swinging on a 9-2 run and cut the Aztec lead down to nine.
SDSU and Utah State once again traded baskets as the Aztecs held a 10-point lead for the majority of the half. Bradley hit a jumper for his 18th point with just over five minutes to play in the half to regain a 10-point lead for SDSU.
Ashworth responded with another 3-pointer to cut the lead down to seven, its lowest mark since early in the first half. Ashworth scored 18 points in the game to co-lead all scorers with Bradley.
After a pair of buckets from Utah State forward Taylor Funk and two free throws from Aggie Dan Akin, the SDSU lead was cut to just one point with 1:00 minute remaining.
SDSU had not scored since the 5:40 mark in the half as they went completely cold on the offensive end, allowing Utah to get right back in it.
However, when it mattered most, SDSU got the stop they needed and closed out the Aggies in a 63-61 victory on the road.
“Coach Dutch and coach Dave (Velasquez) drew up a good (defensive) game plan,” Ledee said. “We knew it was do or die time and we needed a stop, and I think we really locked in and got it done.”
SDSU played tough defense all night as coming into the game, Utah State averaged nearly 80 points per game, but finished with just 61 against an aggressive SDSU team.
“We have guys that can play good lockdown defense. We obviously paid special attention to (Steven) Ashworth and (Taylor) Funk. We didn’t want them shooting a lot of threes, (we wanted to) stay attached to them.”
VS UNLV
SDSU’s barrage of alley oops, dunks and 3-pointers energized a crowd of 12,414 at Viejas Arena and helped them maintain control of the Mountain West Conference.
The Aztecs showed off their deep and dynamic roster on Saturday afternoon, defeating the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels 82-71.
This was the second time the teams faced off this season, as the Aztecs defeated UNLV 76-67 at Thomas & Mack Center on Dec. 31.
The Aztecs’ offense got off to a strong start with a Nathan Mensah slam dunk. Immediately after, their defense forced a UNLV turnover on a shot clock violation.
From the first minute, SDSU was in control. A combination of offensive rebounding and strong perimeter defense allowed the team to dictate the flow of the game.
At the half, SDSU held a commanding 43-23 lead. They more than doubled UNLV in field goal percentage (52%-26%), 3-point field goal percentage (37%-18%) points in the paint (16-6) and rebounds (22-11). UNLV’s bench was limited to just two points for the first 20 minutes of the game.
The Aztecs led by as much as 19 points in the first half, aided by a 14-0 run.
Senior forward Keshad Johnson impressed in the first half, leading the team with 12 points. Junior guard Lamont Butler controlled the flow of the offense with seven rebounds and four assists before halftime.
Senior guards Matt Bradley and Adam Seiko sparked the offense in the second half. Bradley finished the game with 17 points, shooting 6-8 from the field. Seiko contributed 18 points off the bench, including six 3-pointers.
Seiko leads the Mountain West in 3-point field goal percentage, at a clip of 50.6%.
Overall, four SDSU players scored over 10 points and their bench outscored UNLV by a total of 33-23. Bradley credits their success to the depth of their roster.
“As everyone knows, we’re the deepest team in this conference,” Bradley said. “When we get production from everybody, that’s the first place team you’re looking at…The ceiling is high.”
Senior center Nathan Mensah, who led the team in points against Boise State, had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Seven of those 11 rebounds came on offense, giving the team plenty of opportunities for second-chance points.
Despite his strong offensive contributions, it was the team’s defensive performance that stuck out to him the most.
“Every day we come together and show that we will stop the best shooters and that makes it easier on everybody. If those guys are not going, their team will struggle,” Mensah said. “Most teams emphasize 3-pointers to win whereas we emphasize defense to win.”
UNLV played a more competitive second half as they outscored SDSU, 48-39. They trailed by 23 with 7:45 left after halftime but a late push brought the game within 11 points. Senior guard EJ Harkless, ranked second in the Mountain West division in points-per-game, scored 24 points. 11 of them came from free throws.
Despite the late push, SDSU’s lead was too big to overcome.
While Coach Dutcher wasn’t overly concerned with the team’s late-game performance, he hopes to see a more complete performance from the team.
“The key is playing 40 minutes – that’s what good teams do,” Dutcher said. “I told them before the game, mental toughness is everything. If your shot’s not going and you’re frustrated, find another way to impact the game at the defensive end. All it is is managing frustration and trying to keep concentration at the highest level.”
This marks SDSU’s fifth consecutive win against UNLV, dating back to March 3, 2021. Out of their last 11 contests, SDSU has 10 wins. In 35 Mountain West home games, SDSU has won 31 of them.
The Aztecs (20-5, 11-2) are back in action soon, as they face Fresno State (9-15, 5-8) on Wednesday at 8 p.m. on the road.
