FRESNO, Calif. (AP) Braxton Huggins had a career-high 20 points with eight rebounds and five assists, Nate Grimes added 13 points and 16 rebounds and Fresno State rallied from a 20-point, first-half deficit to beat San Diego State 66-62 on Tuesday night.
Fresno State took its first lead, since 2-0, midway through the second half when Grimes's putback made it 52-51. Sam Bittner was fouled on a 3-pointer with 1:06 remaining and hit 2 of 3 free throws for a 63-58 lead, and Huggins made two more on their next possession.
Bittner, who had five points at halftime, sparked the second-half comeback with three early 3-pointers and finished with 18 points for Fresno State (14-4, 5-1 Mountain West). Deshon Taylor, averaging 16.6 points per game, fouled out on a charging call with 2:04 remaining.
Fresno State has won six of the last eight games in the series.
Jalen McDaniels had 19 points and 10 rebounds for San Diego State (10-8, 2-3). Jeremy Hemsley added 14 and Devin Watson 13.
Hemsley scored 10 points in the first half to help SDSU build a 39-26 lead as Fresno State was held to 8-of-27 shooting (29.6 percent). McDaniels' putback with 12.7 seconds remaining in the game was SDSU's only field goal in the final four minutes.
Big Note:
McDaniels continued his solid play by recording his fourth consecutive double-double. Prior to this stretch, the sophomore had never posted more than two straight double-doubles. During his last seven games, McDaniels is averaging 19.4 points, 9.7 rebounds and is shooting 56.0 percent from the field.
Chart Climbing:
Hemsley moved into 13th place on the school's all-time scoring list. The senior passed Kyle Spain and Xavier Thames and now has 1,242 career points.
Up Next:
San Diego State returns home for consecutive games, beginning with a contest against UNLV on Saturday. The Aztecs-Rebels game will be gin at 5 p.m. PT.
Fresno State hits the road for a Saturday game at Colorado State.
Aztecs Fall at Fresno State, 66-62
