SAN JOSE, Calif. – Matt Bradley, scored a season-high 28 points and the San Diego State men's basketball team shot 45.6 percent from the field to secure a 72-62 road win in the Provident Credit Union Event Center on Wednesday night.
Bradley led all scorers on 9-of-17 shooting, including 4-of-6 from distance, was 6-of-7 from the line and grabbed seven rebounds. His 81 points in his last three games are the highest three-game total for an Aztec since Jamaal Franklin scored 84 points, Feb. 25-Mar. 3, 2012.
Bradley hit the first bucket of the contest, a jumper in the paint 12 seconds in and SDSU never looked back securing its fifth win overall and third in conference play without trailing in the contest.
By the second media timeout, at the 11:15 mark, San Diego State (14-6, 6-3 MW) built its first double digit lead, 14-3, and had limited the Spartans to 1-of-7 shooting and had forced seven turnovers.
It looked like it was going to be an easy night, but SJSU would not make it easy.
They went on a 9-3 mini spurt to cut the lead to five, 18-13 with 7:19 to go before the break. The Aztecs responded with a 7-0 run to push the lead back to double digits at 25-13 with Bradley picking up five of the seven points.
SDSU was up 11 with 3:05 to go before intermission, but the Spartans (7-16, 0-11 MW) scored seven of the last nine points in the half and trailed by six, 28-22 at the intermission.
SJSU got the lead down to four points three times early in the second half and at the first media timeout trailied, 38-34. Bradley then hit back-to-back threes, converting a four-point play on the second triple to push the advantage back to double digits at 45-34 with 12:50 to play.
San Diego State had as high as a 15-point lead with just over five minutes to play and from there cruised to the 10-point victory.
The Aztecs forced the Spartans into 17 turnovers, eight coming on steals, and used those to score 22 points and its bench outscored SJSU's 19-to-1.
In addition to Bradley's season high in points, Joshua Tomaic equaled his career-high with eight rebounds and also had a season-best two assists. Lamont Butler tied his season high with four steals and Chad Baker-Mazara's two blocks were the most for him in a game this season.
With the win San Diego State has defeated San Jose State in each of the last eight meetings between the teams and is 15-1 in the last 16 encounters with SJSU.
The Aztecs return home for its next two games beginning with the Air Force Falcons on Saturday, Feb. 12 at 5 p.m. Tickets are available at goaztecs.com.
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Aztecs Cruise to 72-62 Win At San Jose State
