Wednesday’s conference game against the University of Wyoming was about more than halting a two-game losing streak and trying to keep pace in the Mountain West Conference standings for the San Diego State basketball team.
The Aztecs wanted redemption. It was about showing the SDSU fans and critics that their nine-point
first half against the
Cowboys in Wyoming was a fluke; something that would never happen again.
It took the Aztecs 7:11 minutes to surpass their first-half total from the last meeting between
the two teams. But surpassing the nine-point mark that has
haunted the Aztecs since Jan. 19 was not enough; they wanted the win. And that’s exactly what they did, erasing any memory of the nine-point first half in the process.
Down 7-6 early in the game, SDSU outscored Wyoming 31-6 in the rest of the first half to take the 37-13 lead going into halftime.
With the game in hand and the Aztecs in cruise control, the second half began as a back-and-forth battle, with both teams trading baskets. The Cowboys were able to lessen the gap to within 21 points to start the secon
d half, but the lead quickly ballooned to 26 with 16:34 left in the game.
The Aztecs and Cowboys continued to trade baskets in the second half, but SDSU maintained a large lead, reaching 31 when sophomore forward Dwayne Polee II hit a 3-pointer with 3:49 left in the game.
When the final buzzer sounded, the Aztecs were victorious, defeating Wyoming 79-51 to claim the revenge they desperately sought. The Aztecs are now 19-7 overall and 7-5 in MW play. The Cowboys fall to 18-8 overall and 4-8 in conference play.
Down 7-6 with 14:48 left in the first half, the Aztecs exploded, going on a 15-0 run to give them a 21-7 lead with 9:10 left in the first half. The Cowboys were never able to recover.
Player of the game
Polee tied a career high with 16 points on six of eight shooting from the field and three of five shooting fr
om the 3-point range. His three 3-pointers were also a career high.
Statistic of the game
The Aztecs shot 15-of-22 (68.2 percent) from the field in the first half, while the Cowboys finished the first half 4-of-24 (16.7 percent).
Not in the box score
Franklin was honored before the start of the game for passing the 1,000-point mark on Feb. 9 against Fresno State.
Notes
– Student tickets for Saturday’s home game against the University of Nevada, Reno will be distributed beginning at 7 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 21 at the Viejas Arena Box Office.
– Senior guard James Rahon didn’t play because of his sprained right shoulder he suffered in Saturday’s game against the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
– SDSU outscored Wyoming 36-16 in the paint for the game.
– The Aztecs outrebounded the Cowboys 35-16.
