The No. 25 Aztecs moved to 2-1 in the season after defeating Missouri State 60-44 on Saturday as a part of the Mountain West-Missouri Valley Challenge. The 16-point loss was the largest home game loss the Bears have suffered at home since their arena opened in 2008.
Junior guard Jamaal Franklin recorded his 15th career double-double with 12 rebounds and a game-high 22 points. Franklin also recorded three steals and three blocked shots.
Senior guard Anthony Downing’s 16 points led Missouri State, which included a three-pointer late in the second-half that brought the Bears within six points.
The Aztecs were able to pull away on back-to-back threes from senior guard Chase Tapley and senior guard James Rahon. Rahon scored 10 points and went 2-5 from behind the three-point line.
The Aztec’s size and athleticism played a major role in their victory, especially on the defensive end.
“I thought our half-court defense kept them from getting good, clean looks and allowed us to win the game,” head coach Steve Fisher said to the Associated Press. Fisher moved to 7-1 against Missouri Valley teams.
SDSU held Missouri State’s shooting percentage to just 28.1 for the game.
The Aztecs also dominated Missouri State on the boards, outrebounding the Bears 52-34.
“If we would have rebounded, it would have been a different outcome than what it was,” Downing said.
Since winning the MVC regular-season title in 2011, Missouri State has been in a rebuilding phase.
“Our lack of experience showed at times,” Missouri State head coach Paul Lusk said.
The Bears were forced to sit two starters for extended periods of time. Junior guard Keith Pickens was still nursing a knee injury, but was able to score nine points and collect six rebounds. Sophomore forward Christian Kirk was in foul trouble early, picking up two within the first ten minutes of play before he was taken out.
“I felt like our freshmen, I think they all battled and we played our hearts out. We just came up short,” Downing said.
The Aztecs felt “heart” was the crucial factor to the game as well.
“We’ve got a lot of heart. We do what it takes to win,” Franklin said.
Fisher compared the tough road challenge to the away games the Aztecs experience every year.
“I told our team, `This is going to be like a road game in the league, this is going to be a Mountain West Conference road game and you know what those are like,”‘ Fisher said. “And it was.”
The Aztecs will use their hearts again on Wednesday as they try for their third consecutive win of the season against Arkansas-Pine Bluff in Viejas Arena before back-to-back games in Los Angeles against the University of Southern California and the University of California Los Angeles.
