PHOENIX, AZ – San Diego State battled for long stretches against the No.1 team in the nation, but could not overcome Arizona’s firepower and home-court edge, falling to the Wildcats 68-45 in Phoenix. It was the next to final non-conference matchup of the season for SDSU and it was a hard-fought one.
The Aztecs held the lead for most of the first half, playing gritty defense and finding success attacking mismatches and moving the ball to create open looks. At one point midway through the half they lead by 8 points. But consistency was elusive. Missed opportunities around the rim and a few empty possessions prevented the Aztecs from turning momentum into a lead.
Arizona, on the other hand, mixed inside scoring with timely perimeter shots to stay close and keep the pressure on. Towards the end of the first half a turning point came when Brian Dutcher was whistled for a technical foul and a five point swing ensued. Arizona took the one point lead going into the break and the momentum shift could be felt.
Midway through the second half when Arizona strung together their decisive run it was fueled by defensive breakdowns and second-chance points. In turn they were allowed to stretch the margin over SDSU who had to chase the Wildcats the rest of the game.
There the Aztecs struggled to generate the needed scoring to answer the surge as poor shot selection and stagnant ball movement became a vicious cycle on each possession. It was essentially a game that the better team in the end prevailed and really put it all together.
On the night five different players put up double digit scoring numbers for Arizona and Tobe Awaka knocked down 9 points while dominating the boards cleaning up 15 rebounds, of which 6 were offensive.
For SDSU no player reached double digit scoring—only Reese Dixon-Waters knocked down 8 points, but on 2-10 shooting. In that devastating second half for SDSU, they totaled only 18 points total and on the night could only hit 1-three point shot.
The loss sends San Diego State back home with clear takeaways as the season progresses. The Aztecs showed they can compete against elite competition, but lapses in execution and rebounding proved costly in a hostile environment. As conference play approaches, refining offensive efficiency and closing out defensive possessions will be critical for turning performances like this into wins.
The Aztecs next face Whittier College on Monday, December 22, in a very odd tip-off time scheduled for 1pm PST. You can watch the full game broadcast live-streamed here at sonsofmontezuma.com and our YouTube channel.
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