Seemingly all of Logan, Utah was packed into Dee Glen Smith Spectrum to watch the San Diego State Aztecs (18-7, 11-5 MW) battle the Utah State Aggies (24-4, 14-3 MW).
The sold-out, raucous crowd was making their presence felt as the Aggies forced a multitude of missed field goals to begin Saturday’s action. Cumulatively, SDSU only made one of their first 10 shots.
To add to the Aztecs’ early uphill battle, freshman standout Magoon Gwath hyperextended his knee with 17:44 left in the first half; he was unable to return. Head coach Brian Dutcher commented on what Gwath’s absence means for his team.
“We didn’t have the shot-blocking we normally have in there to protect the rim, and that hurt us. But that’s neither here nor there. We have what we have.”
SDSU was going to have to fill the void down low if they wanted any chance to emerge victorious on the road.
Senior forward Jared Coleman-Jones and sophomore forward Miles Heide saw their roles increase because of Gwath’s injury. Despite each Aztec finishing the game in foul trouble, Utah State only scored 20 points in the paint.
Freshmen Pharaoh Compton and Taj DeGourville also saw increased minutes in Logan. Compton was a perfect 3-3 from the field, finishing with seven points and a block. DeGourville added eight points and four rebounds.
The tremendous depth of the Aztecs’ roster was not enough to fill Gwath’s shoes, losing the rebounding battle 38-30. SDSU is now 5-6 on the season when they are outrebounded by their opponent.
The bright spots for the Scarlet and Black on Saturday night were senior Nick Boyd and sophomore BJ Davis.
Boyd led all Aztec scorers with 15 points. He also tacked on six assists, two rebounds, and a steal. It was Boyd’s 17th time this season finishing in double figures and his ninth time leading the Aztecs in points.
Davis poured on 14 points of his own along with five rebounds and a steal. He canned a career-high four of his seven three-point attempts and finished with double-digit points for the 12th time this season. Davis did not let the Aggie faithful rattle him, but he did comment on what the atmosphere was like Saturday night.
“It was definitely a high-intensity environment. The crowd showed up tonight. It was an aggressive and hostile crowd….”
Defensively, the Aztecs did a solid job in the first half, containing Utah State to only 33 points.
The senior tandem of Dexter Akanno and Ian Martinez accounted for 20 of their team’s opening half points.
The second half was a different story as the Aggies’ offense unleashed a 46-point scoring barrage on the visiting Aztecs.
Akanno continued to burn the Aztecs for 26 total points on 9-12 shooting. He was unconscious from beyond the arc, knocking down seven threes on nine attempts. The senior sharpshooter also snagged five boards.
Martinez was 4-9 from the field and 3-6 from three-point land. He complimented Akanno’s 26 points with 18 points of his own, as well as four boards and three assists.
The biggest difference maker for Utah State was their free throw total. The Aggies made an astounding 26 of their 32 attempts (81.3%). When compared to the Aztecs’ 15-22 (68.2%) performance, it is fair to say the whistle played a key role in deciding Saturday night’s contest.
Senior Deyton Albury led Utah State in made free throws, going 12-13 from the charity stripe. Martinez also made all seven of his foul shots.
With both the Mountain West and March Madness tournaments just around the corner, the Aztecs will hope for a speedy recovery from their interior anchor in Gwath. They will also look to win their last four conference games in hopes of improving their resumé for the postseason.
SDSU looks to make their playoff hopes a reality as they host the defending Mountain West champion New Mexico Lobos at Viejas Arena on Tuesday at 8:00 p.m.
