SAN DIEGO - Matt Mitchell recorded the second double double of his career, with 20 points and 10 rebounds, and the San Diego State men's basketball team defeated the Nevada Wolf Pack 65-60 on Thursday night in Viejas Arena.
Nevada led 60-58 with 2:04 to play, when senior guard Jordan Schakel hit a three pointer to put SDSU up 61-60. Down the stretch, Mitchell and junior forward Nathan Mensah hit two free throws each to secure the victory.
In a game in which neither team led by more than seven points, there were six lead changes and seven ties, San Diego State improves to 8-3 overall and 2-1 in Mountain West Conference action.
Mensah added 16 points, including a career-best 8-of-10 from the free throw line, and seven rebounds for the Aztecs. Trey Pulliam, a senior guard, added 10 points, reaching double figures for the second time in his major college career.
The teams got off to a hot shooting start. The Aztecs went 8-of-8 to open the game and didn't miss a shot until the 12:39 mark. Over the same time span, Nevada (8-4, 3-2 MW) was 5-of-8, but the teams then went a combined 1-of-17 over the next 8:04 and a defensive battle ensued.
The teams went to the locker room with San Diego State leading 32-28. The Aztecs improved to 7-1 this season and 68-10 in the Brian Dutcher era when they lead at the half.
Mensah finished the first 20 minutes with a team-high 11 points. It marked the second game in a row the Accra, Ghana native, reached double figure scoring and the third time in his career he has had back-to-back games of 10-plus points. Mensah provided 16 of the team's 26 point in the paint and provided as many points in the lane as the entire Nevada roster.
In the second half, Mitchell scored 18 of San Diego State's 33 points and with his 20 points in the game, moved passed Chad Nelson, Kyle Spain and Xavier Thames on the program's career-scoring list. The Riverside, Calif., native, has scored 1,239 career points which ranks 14th all time for the Aztecs.
Grant Sherfield finished with a game-high 22 points for the Wolf Pack. Desmond Cambridge added 16 points.
The team's starting five provided 90.4 percent of the scoring (113-of-124 points). San Diego State's bench outscored the Nevada bench 8-to-4).
MBB Defeat Nevada For Eighth Straight Time At Home
