Between Padres’ pitcher Joe Musgrove leading The Show in the “I believe that we will win” chant, the unveiling of the Mountain West and Final Four banners and the Aztecs dominating Cal State Fullerton in the second half of an 83-57 win, it was a madhouse at Viejas Arena on Monday night.
“We got San Diego State across our chest, so it means a lot to us,” said leading scorer, forward Jaedon LeDee.
He had 27 points, a new career high, and 10 rebounds for his third career double-double. According to GoAztecs.com, he became the seventh Aztec since the 1996-97 season with at least 27 points and 10 rebounds and the first since Jalen McDaniels had 30 and 13 against UNLV on Jan. 26, 2019.
Junior guard Micah Parrish equaled his career high with five three-pointers and four steals, while contributing 17 points (in 21 minutes), 6 rebounds and 3 assists.
“We play hard, we work hard,” Parrish said. “We set the tone. Everybody can feed off that energy.”
In his first game as an Aztec, transfer guard Reese Waters dropped 15 points. Forward Elijah Sauders scored a career-high nine points with five rebounds in 18 minutes. Senior guard Lamont Butler tallied eight points, four rebounds and tied his career-high of seven assists.
In the first half, the Aztecs scored the first 14 points before the Titans scored. However, as the game progressed, Cal State Fullerton had a 13-5 run and was able to catch up, trailing by two points at half-time, 37-35.
In the second half, the Aztecs used a run to push their lead above 20 points, which they held for the rest of the game.
“We are off and running, the journey has begun again,” said head coach Brian Dutcher.
The expectation from the veteran players was visible as the three seniors scored 52 of the Aztecs’ 87 points. Darrion Trammell dressed for the game but did not play. Sophomores Saunders, Myles Byrd and Demarshay Johnson Jr. got their feet wet in the game as well.
Dynamic transfers Waters and Jay Pal, and freshmen newcomers Miles Heide and BJ Davis had the first show of their flow for the season. They are finding their way into the Aztecs’ winning mentality by seeing all that is around them.
“You’re mixing a lot of different pieces in there and learning as you go,” Dutcher said. “The key to any season is winning while you learn. If that can happen, then it is a lot of fun.”
Senior guard DJ Brewton led the Titans with 13 points, two rebounds and six assists. San Diego State defeated Cal State Fullerton for the 24th time in the 34 times the programs have met.
Next, the Aztecs face the BYU Cougars on Friday, Nov. 10 at 6 p.m. at the J. Willard Marriott Center in Provo, Utah.
“We learned lessons and we won,” Dutcher said. “But we are going to learn lessons and lose at some point too, it’s what you do with those lessons. It’s just the first step in the journey.”
