SAN DIEGO -- Senior Matt Bradley had 15 points and six rebounds and senior Trey Pulliam added 11 points as San Diego State defeated UT Arlington, 68-62, at Viejas Arena on Saturday night.
"We did everything we had to do to try to get them ready to play tonight," Aztec head coach Brian Dutcher said. "It's the first time in a long time where we've actually played live (at shootaround), because I didn't think they were engaged enough and mentally ready to play and that's on me. That's my job as the head coach. One of my job's is to get them ready to play and the other is to put them in a position to win and I have to do a better job of both. I always say it's better to learn in a win rather than a defeat, and that's what we did. We have a lot of lessons to learn."
The Aztecs (3-1) connected on 30-of-34 free throw attempts in the contest. The 30 makes were the most since March 1, 2006 and the 88.2 percent from the line on at least 30 attempts was its highest in the last 26 seasons.
The Mavs (1-4) kept the game close throughout, with San Diego State never building an advantage greater than 10 points.
The game was tied at 46 with 8:38 to play, when the Aztecs went on a 9-0 run. Nathan Mensah and Bradley combined for three free throws and Lamont Butler followed with a three-pointer in transition and Bradley capped the run with a trey of his own.
"We've just got to pay respects to Texas Arlington," senior guard Matt Bradley said. "They came in here and really battled. It was a battle from the start to the end and, I think it took certain plays for us to wake up. They were crashing the glass hard, something we've been working on throughout the season. And I think we've just got to continue to keep our mental (state) right, and just get better every day."
For the fourth game this season, San Diego State held its opponent to under 70 points, and less than 40 percent shooting from the floor. The Aztecs are 65-5 in the Dutcher era (since the start of the 2017-18 season) when they limit the opponents to less than 40 percent shooting and are 31-8 when they hold an opponent to between 60-69 points.
THE NOTE
San Diego State is now 35-1 the last 36 times it has attempted more free throws than its opponent.
UP NEXT
San Diego State will open the Wooden Legacy with Georgetown in Anaheim on Thanksgiving night.
Bradley and Pulliam Help Aztecs By UT Arlington
