Never in doubt—whether a 19 point drubbing of Fresno State Saturday night, or a triple overtime thriller against Boise State last weekend. The Aztecs men’s basketball team improved to 5-0 in Mountain West Conference play and extend their win streak to five just the same.
It wasn’t a perfect performance by any stretch, but never was the game out of control as the Aztecs scored the first few baskets to take an early 8-0 lead at home and just kept on rolling.
To Goon Again
Led by Magoon Gwath’s 18 points on 8/12 shooting, 2 three pointers, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal—the sophomore was back in the starting lineup and really made his presence known from the jump ball.
For some reason the young man just loves to perform big against that team from the Valley and we are not mad about it. This was the only matchup between the two schools this regular season and last as members in the Mountain West together. So to get a nice bounce back game from Goon was terrific.
Last week HC Brian Dutcher quoted as saying, Magoon needed to fulfill obligations that all team members are held to, in response to his absence from the starting lineup, really begged the question to what exactly was the hitch in his giddy-up?
Magoon has shown flashes this season of his exceptional play that all Aztec Nation had become excited about last season. But for most of this season it’s been an inconsistent mix of defensive lapses, offensive turnovers and a bit of confusion in the new team dynamic. One thing that has never wavered has been the visual of Magoon’s encouragement towards his teammates throughout the year.
Boards Out of Our Minds
Okay at times I caught myself yawning at the play on the court. I mean the Aztecs dominated but there was plenty of sloppy play that just wasn’t appealing to watch at times. A poor shooting performance from behind the three point line fed into that feeling as the Aztecs attempted an uncharacteristic 29 threes and only hit 6.
But that’s not exactly what I mean when I say Board. I mean rebounding, duh. SDSU domiinated the glass 48-35 and a 13-5 offensive rebounds to be specific. That was one of our keys to the game as it usually always tends to be. Reese Dixon-Waters led the team with 9 rebounds on the night and Gwath snatched 4 offensive boards.
But it was Miles Heide who had maybe the games most exhilarating offensive board of the night. After a missed Miles Byrd three pointer, Heide battled several Fresno State defenders to tipping the ball onto the other side of the court. There he pursued it full on, won the battle and quickly got the ball back into play.
The reward for the extra hustle was an eventual Magoon Gwath corner three that brought the Viejas crowd off their feet.
Focus and Freedom
“If you lose focus in basketball, you’re susceptible to have the other team make a run on you” said HC Dutcher when describing his team’s overall performance. The Aztecs at times put on the cruise control and shhot up a lot of free shots they wanted to take.
It was a case of getting up by a ton of points and then just taking the open shots if you have them, not necessarily the right shots or adhering to a disciplined gameplan.
And that’s what Brian Dutcher teams have usually been from what I gathered. Freedom within a framework is the mantra. Talented teams get a lot of freedom off the leash. But with great freedom, you must maintain your discipline to focus. That discipline either comes from the coach pulling in the reigns a bit—or it comes by experience losing big leads and eventually the game if not able to refocus.
This team has encounters with it all in this season so far. On this night they just played an inferior opponent, a dog with no bark and even less of a bite.
On the night Fresno State was led by DeShawn Gory’s 16 points and 14 rebounds. Definitely the bright spot in that program’s future.
Up next San Diego State hits elevation when they play at Wyoming on Wednesday, January 14th, at 5pm PST on CBS Sports. Wyoming stands at 11-5 overall but just 2-3 in Mountain West play. More to come on this game as travel to Laramie always makes it challenge to overcome.
Discover more from
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
