The year 2023 has been the gift that keeps on giving for fans of the San Diego State men’s basketball team.
Championships. A once ever shot. Banners. Win after win in some of the most exciting ways possible, making Scarlet and Black memories to last a lifetime.
So, it was only appropriate that the Aztecs wrapped up the home portion of their non-conference schedule with a 74-60 win over the Stanford Cardinal on Thursday night before a sellout crowd at Viejas Arena.
“We’re 10-2 — obviously, you want to be 12-0 — but 10-2 with the schedule we played is pretty good and we’re healthy, we’re getting better and we have to continue that growth into the new year,” said head coach Brian Dutcher.
Lamont Butler had his best night on offense of the season, posting game-highs by efficiently scoring 18 points (a personal season-best) on 7 of 13 shooting and dishing four assists.
“The last 10 days I put a lot of time in the gym, just trying to get my shot back (and) comfortable to where I’m consistently hitting shots and today just was a result of that,” Butler said. “Credit to my teammates for finding me and letting me go to the rim.”
The Aztecs needed it, as Jaedon LeDee picked up two fouls in a 43-second stretch and played only 1:34 of the first half. He played the entire second half, finishing with 16 points and 4 rebounds.
Without SDSU’s leading scorer on the floor, the first half was much more to Stanford’s (5-5) liking, with a grinding and deliberate pace. The lead changed hands nine times and the score was tied 10 times, with the Cardinal’s 5-point lead at the 14:06 mark as big as either side could build.
With the teams tied after a pair of Darrion Trammell free throws with 4.5 seconds left in the half, Stanford forward Brandon Angel overthrew a football-style inbound pass that bounced back long off the Aztecs’ backboard.
Micah Parrish (who scored all 10 of his points in the first half) corralled the rebound at half court, then found Trammell, who slashed the lane from the left wing and hit a floater in the paint as time expired to give SDSU a 34-32 lead at the break.
The Aztecs never looked back with LeDee returned in the lineup for the second half; they opened by making their first six shots from the field as part of a 13-2 run that blew the game open. LeDee scored 14 while playing the full 20 minutes of the second stanza.
“I’ve got ultimate confidence in my teammates,” LeDee said. “I know they were going to go out there and compete and play hard and just do what I can from the sideline and then stay locked in for a second half.”
Miles Heide exemplified the team’s response to coach Dutcher’s call to get to the glass against the taller and more experienced Cardinal. The freshman snatched a game-high 7 rebounds in 16:32 (all in the first half) as the Aztecs won the rebounding battle (33-32, 8-6 offensive).
SDSU was also able to create points outside of the regular offensive sets, generating a 10-4 advantage in second chance points, a 15-6 edge in points off turnovers and had more points on the fast break.
“We worked a lot on that in practice, credit to our coaches… that kinda helped us throughout the game and then, you know, playing in transition, we scored a lot of transition a lot, that helps as always,” Butler said.
Miles Byrd added a needed scoring spark off the bench in the opening 20, matching his career-high with 8 points.
“(Heide’s) catching up, he’s becoming a factor on the floor, rebounding-wise,” Dutcher said. “Byrd stepped in (and) was explosive, hit some threes, was dynamic attacking the basket — but he’s still got room to grow.”
Both Trammell and Jay Pal, who played wearing a protective face mask, scored 6 points and were fully available after leaving SDSU’s win against Saint Katherine on Tuesday with injuries.
The Aztecs have won their last 19 non-conference games at Viejas Arena and finished 2023 with a 13-1 record at Fortress Fisher. Mountain West Conference play opens at home against Fresno State at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024.
Still, SDSU has one final road trip for the year when they travel to take on No. 15 Gonzaga on Friday, Dec. 29.
The 6 p.m. tipoff at McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Washington, will be nationally televised on ESPN2.
For now though, the Scarlet and Black will take the time to celebrate the holidays.
“The most important thing right now is go home and enjoy your family,” Dutcher said.
Women’s basketball closes non-conference play with a tournament sweep
The Aztecs aced their final tune up before conference play by handling both Kennesaw State and Florida Atlantic in the West Palm Beach Classic, hosted by Palm Beach Atlantic University.
San Diego State (9-4) defeated KSU 75-52 on Wednesday and FAU 75-48 on Thursday. The Aztecs closed non-conference play with a five-game winning streak, four of which were on the road.
Jada Lewis and Adryana Quezada scored a game-high 17 points each against Kennesaw State, while Khylee Pepe came off the bench to score 6 points and grab an SDSU-best 7 rebounds.
The Aztecs took the lead just over 2 minutes into the game and never gave it back, leading KSU by double-digits for the entire second half.
Abby Prohaska recorded a 10 point-14 rebound double-double and Meghan Fiso came off the bench to score a game-best 13 points against Florida Atlantic. Freshman guard Mia Davis scored her first collegiate bucket (she finished with 8 points) to put the Aztecs ahead for good in the second quarter, and senior guard Emaya Trahan also notched her first NCAA basket.
SDSU will open Mountain West play against preseason conference No. 2 Colorado State (9-2), who are led by conference Preseason Player of the Year McKenna Hofschild. The graduate student guard currently leads the nation, averaging 8.4 assists per game.
The Aztecs and Rams will tip off at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 30 at Viejas Arena.
