The San Diego State Aztecs are off to a strong start to the 2025-2026 basketball season.
Following their blowout win against Long Beach State to open the season, SDSU defended home court once again with a 73-57 victory over Idaho State on Sunday, Nov. 9.
The Bengals entered Viejas Arena with a 2-0 record, hoping to pull off an early-season upset, but the Aztecs were ready from the start. Miles Byrd opened the scoring with a soft kiss layup off the glass to give SDSU a 2-0 lead, a lead they would hold for the remaining 39 minutes and 29 seconds of the game. Despite Idaho State’s efforts to claw its way back through several scoring runs, the outcome was never in doubt.
Byrd only scored once more throughout the game, finishing with 4 points, but the Aztecs didn’t need a big offensive night from their junior guard to secure a comfortable win.
Reese Dixon-Waters, playing in his first regular-season game since missing last season with a stress fracture in his foot, and his first game of this season after sitting out the opener with an eye abrasion, led the team with 14 points.
“It was great having Reese come back, (he) scored the ball at a high level,” said head coach Brian Dutcher.
Big men Miles Heide and Pharoah Compton also made their presence felt, as San Diego State’s size consistently overwhelmed the smaller Idaho State lineup. Heide finished with 9 points on 4-for-8 shooting, while Compton dominated with 14 points on a perfect 7-for-7 from the field and added two blocks on defense.
Several alley-oop slams from Compton electrified the Viejas Arena crowd and sparked SDSU’s offense. Seven-foot-one center Thokbor Majak also saw playing time, further showcasing the size that Dutcher and his staff have at their disposal.
“We have a luxury of having three really good centers,” Dutcher said. “And then we don’t even have Magoon available to slide in there,” he continued, referencing starting center Magoon Gwath, who has yet to play this season but was cleared for practice this week.
Defensively, the Aztecs smothered the Bengals. While Byrd’s scoring numbers were modest, he made a significant impact on defense with six steals. Dixon-Waters added two more as the two veteran guards were the clear leaders of the defense on a night where San Diego State forced 19 Bengal turnovers.
“As veteran guards, it’s our job to set the tone on defense,” said Dixon-Waters.
Though the Aztecs didn’t completely blow the doors off Viejas Arena, falling short of their 22.5-point spread, they demonstrated both their defensive ability and their impressive depth. Eleven players saw action, and nine scored. Dutcher spoke about the challenge of managing minutes on such a deep roster.
“I like my team. I like it a lot,” Dutcher said. “And we’ll be good as long as they can accept maybe not playing the minutes they want to play every night. Because we’re really deep.”
The win also marked the 200th career victory for Dutcher, now in his 9th season with San Diego State. He has now solidified his place among the great Aztec coaches, a fact not lost on his players.
“I respect him a lot and I appreciate him as a coach,” said Dixon-Waters. “He’s a great coach, and I’m glad we were able to help him get that win.”
Coach Dutcher reflected on his career milestone, emphasizing that the success belongs to everyone around him.
“You surround yourself with really good people, assistant coaches and players, and everybody embraces a role, including mine, and great things can happen for all of us.” He said. “So I’m just a byproduct of all the great people I’ve surrounded myself with.”
Dutcher will look for career win No. 201 when the Aztecs stay home to face Troy on Nov. 18 at Viejas Arena. It’s their final home game before heading to Las Vegas for the Players Era Championship and a matchup with No. 7 Michigan.
