The Viejas Arena crowd has notably been one of the best players in the basketball program’s history. The deafening noise from the fanbase became the difference late in the second half as the Scarlet and Black ended the game on a 21-6 run over the last eight minutes.
“The run was a large part due to this environment we have here,” said Head Coach Brian Dutcher on the home court advantage. “It’s second to none when our fans get behind us, you get 21 down in some buildings you’re gonna get booed, but they don’t boo us, they hang in there with us.”
With much credit to the fans, the SDSU men’s basketball team (14-5, 7-3 MW) overcame a first half hiccup, defeating San Jose State (10-12, 3-7 MW) 71-68 Tuesday night in Viejas Arena.
Forward Miles Heide got the starting lineup nod with center Jared Coleman-Jones sitting out due to injury. Heide got the nerves out early, throwing down a two handed slam for the games first points.
Helping Heide gain confidence seemed to be a focus point for the entirety of the program entering tonight’s contest. Guard Miles Byrd showed his teammates some love post game.
“As players we see a lot of the stuff, for Heide to step up for an injured Jared today and lead the team in plus-minus was big. I’m proud of how he played tonight,” he said.
Regardless of what the record shows, SDSU was well aware of the sky high ceiling that the SJSU offense presents. Two weeks prior, the Spartans went into New Mexico and took down the 17-4 Lobos 71-70.
Spartans guard Josh Uduje lit a fire under their high powered offense, lacing his first three three-pointers en route to an early 14-8 lead.
The defensive lapses continued for the Aztecs, finding themselves down 19-10 with 13 minutes remaining in the first half. Uduje kept his foot on the gas, scoring 16 of the Spartans first 19 points while shooting five for six from the field.
On the offensive side, SDSU began a dormant four for 12 from the field with five turnovers.
As SJSU guard Latrell Davis pushed the lead to 29-10 with a left-handed layup, the sloppy offense did not stop for SDSU. The Aztec offense recorded five straight turnovers, increasing the total to 10 with 8:30 still to play in the first half. For perspective, on the season the SDSU offense averages 10 turnovers in the entire game.
On the ensuing possession, true freshman Taj DeGourville ended the Spartans 16-0 run with a pull up mid-range late in the shot clock.

Forward Magoon Gwath followed suit, finding an easy two handed slam before ripping his defender on the other end and throwing down a fastbreak dunk. The dunk from Gwath cut the lead to 33-16. Gwath kept the arena jumping, connecting on a contested left wing three-pointer for his third straight basket and tenth point of the contest.
“They punched us in the mouth to start,” said Gwath on the early deficit. “We were able to regroup together and chip back.”
Following a tough layup from guard Nick Boyd, the Viejas Arena crowd noise was deafening. The storm was weathered, as SJSU center Chol Marial got on the board with a corner three-pointer. The basket put the fans back in their seats and kept the Spartan lead at double digits.
The Scarlet and Black went to the locker room faced with a 41-29 deficit. Gwath shined early with 14 points, while Byrd struggled, going scoreless with just two assists
Coming out of the break, SDSU capitalized on their size advantage, hauling in multiple offensive rebounds before Gwath put a cherry on top with an-and-one layup. An intermission wasn’t enough to cool off the freshman, as Gwath found the bottom of the net for his third three-pointer while settling the deficit back to 10.
Byrd broke the seal on the basket for his first points of the night on a floater with 12 minutes remaining while facing a 16 point deficit. The sharpshooting Byrd then did what he does best, hitting a fading three-pointer from the right corner, making the deficit single digits with 10 minutes to play.
“A lot of teams are starting to play me physically which has led me to get off to slow starts,” said Byrd. “I just have to stay with it, my teammates did a great job of getting on me the right way and letting me know they need me.”
Guard BJ Davis found his second basket of the night on a putback layup, then assisted on a Boyd corner three-pointer that blew the roof off Viejas Arena and cut the lead to seven with seven minutes to play.
Feeding off the crowd, Byrd turned the heat up in the kitchen, connecting on two long range three-pointers in the span of two minutes and propelling the Aztecs to their first lead since the first minute of the game. The second three-pointer from Byrd capped off a 13-0 Scarlet and Black run that sent the crowd into a burst that could be heard across the Mesa.
Byrd reflected on his emotions when the second three fell through the net
“Relief,” he said. “More relieved that I’m finally seeing them go in… stayed with it and I got to see it blossom at the end.”
When the lights are brightest, go to the veteran. Boyd embodied that philosophy, fighting through contact for a left handed and-one-layup then executing the pick and roll to perfection and finding Gwath for an easy layup extending the lead to six.
After a quiet second half, Uduje woke up and cashed in on a quick three-pointer that kept SJSU within arms reach with two minutes remaining.

Byrd put the dagger into the Spartans, catching the ball on the baseline and floating across the restricted area for an acrobatic layup, giving SDSU a five point lead with 45 seconds to go.
For the first time in the game, The Spartans were unable to respond to SDSU strikes. The collapse shut the door for good, as the Aztecs picked up their seventh conference win in dramatic fashion.
Gwath, just one game after his double double against UNR, shined once again, recording 24 points and seven rebounds in 34 minutes of play. Byrd found his rhythm in the second half, ending with 13 points and three assists.
Dutcher provided insight on the formula to Gwaths recent success
“Confidence,” he said. “He doesn’t look like he’s afraid to be out there, he makes every play on the floor. He’s not afraid to shoot it or drive it while he gets rebounds and sets screens. He’s used to seeing things now for the second and third time.”
Boyd did his typical due diligence, affecting the game on all levels with 11 points, nine rebounds and five assists.
After a dominant first half, Uduje cooled off, ending the game with 21 points and scoring just five in the second half.
“We knew he was a dynamic driver… When he opens the game making three three-pointers it’s like wow now we have to change our gameplan. We changed it three times,” Dutcher said. “Hes a very good player, he got a conference championship last year at Utah State and was a big reason they won.”
The Scarlet and Black will stay at home and hope for a less dramatic game next time out, facing Wyoming on Saturday, Feb. 1 at Viejas Arena at 5 p.m..