SAN DIEGO – It wasn’t always pretty but San Diego State grinded out a must win home victory over Wyoming Tuesday night. It was the eight home victory in a row for SDSU and the victory puts them up to 16-6 on the season, 10-2 in conference play and all alone in 1st place again—for now.
Having already beaten Wyoming once already this season, it was the final time the Cowboys would make the trip to San Diego as the Aztecs continue their ‘exit interviews’ of the Mountain West. With all the attitude and physical play in this game, both teams appeared to understand the gravity of the situation.
The Pokes wanted to win at any cost. But this game wasn’t just about wining or losing—it was about playing physical and annoying the Aztecs on their way out of the league as much as possible.
Last time around in Laramie, WYO HC Sundance Wicks gifted Brian Dutcher an oxygen tank prior to tip-off. No word yet on wether Dutcher returned the gift this time around still. Our sources are trying to confirm.
Not a Shootout
The game got off to a slow start as both teams were not playing their most efficient offensive ball. The Aztecs missed several gimmies and the Cowboys played their normal herky jerky offense when it comes to going up against SDSU’s defense. Good thing that’s what was constant for the red & black.
By the end of the game Reese Dixon-Waters led all scorers with 23 points, his second most since two seasons’s ago when SDSU traveled to San Juan Capistrano and defeated CAL-Berkeley in a high school gymnasium.
Reese hit shot after shot, truly in the flow of the game all on his own. He also made a living at the line going 9-12 as he constantly forced Cowboy defenders up in the air for contact off of many pump fakes. It was an indicator of how this game went—as both teams combined for 62 attempts. Good thing SDSU shot 36 of them—bad thing was they only made 23. It was ugly.
By the end of the game what should’ve been a bigger blowout became a folly of whistles. The play in the final two to three minutes delayed the final buzzer and had fans looking at their watches, as the officials stopped play for what seemed like every possession. When the Cowboys hit an and 1 and a 3 point shot to beat the buzzer, what was a 15 point lead widdled down to a 9 point victory for SDSU.
When every point matters in the optics of wins and losses, this margin of victory didn’t do much to help the Aztecs post season case. But then again, at this point perhaps a 15 point victory wouldn’t either.
Sea Level Legs
Nevertheless, the Aztecs prevailed and they did it by taking the ball hard in the paint. 38-10 the red & black held the advantage of points in the paint and it paid off but not without it’s bumps and blood.
Miles Byrd was a catalyst and has been this season for his aggressive nature on the court. He also added in 12 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks to the team’s effort. Though not a clean game offensively with 3 turnovers, he continues to be relentless.
Several times Miles Byrd’s physical play earned him getting hit in the face that required medical breaks to patch up a bloody mouth. Byrd’s defense has been tenacious all season earning him top-3 status in both blocks and steals in conference play. It’s the kind of effectiveness on a game and season that should put his name up as the leader for Defensive Player of the Year in Mountain West awards.
To play that way requires an attitude knowing that you will take the punishment offensively just as much as you give it on the defensive side. On one breakaway dunk he could be seen signaling to the ref while hanging on the rim to protect himself, that he was hit in the face.
Though Wyoming saw one player foul out (Leland Walker) and others in foul trouble, SDSU saw both of their main bigs Miles Heide and Pharaoh Compton in danger themselves. Imagine if this game had been played in Laramie’s elevation? Ok lets not think about that.
1,000 Point Club
A high note was Jeremiah Oden’s 1,000th point of his career. His corner pocket three ball splashed down on his former team of which he spent 3 years a part of in Laramie, and he officially joined the club. He finished the night with 7 points and provided several hustle plays that proved timely.
Quietly Oden’s experience has been shining through lately with the absence of Magoon Gwath. His ability to stretch the court at times has paid off in those key shots to extend leads when least expected.
Montezuma Mesa Magic
The Aztecs are dominant once again at home this season. They currently stand at 11-1 at Viejas Arena with just four home games left to catch them live there. The remaining games on the home schedule: Nevada, Grand Canyon, Utah State, and UNLV. Not exactly a walk in the park.
One more slip up and they surpass last season’s 12-2 home victory mark. Certainly each game is winnable at home, but with already losing to Grand Canyon and Utah State on the road, those two become even more crucial to win at home.
Nevada and UNLV have not been playing their best ball lately, but both will be hunting for revenge in a desperate chance to get a high quality win in conference. This will be the reality for Dutcher’s team as they continue to live on the edge of being on the bubble of the NCAA tournament hopefuls.
Up next the Aztecs get some much needed rest this week before heading to Air Force on Saturday. After that they will have a ‘bye week’ until the weekend vs Nevada on Valentine’s Day. Then the true grind of deciding who wins the regular season begins.
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