SAN DIEGO – Four Aztecs scored in double figures and as a team, San Diego State shot over 50 percent en route to a 77-52 win over the San Jose State Spartans on Friday night at Steve Fisher Court at Viejas Arena.
Chad Baker-Mazara led the charge with 16 points, on 6-of-12 shooting from the field, including 2-of-5 from distance. He added four rebounds, three steals and an assist. Matt Bradley was 7-of-13 from the floor, totaled 15 points and dished out a game-high 3 assists to equal Keshad Johnson in that category. Johnson finished with 14 points, made 4-of-5 shots, was a perfect 6-of-6 from the line and added five boards. Trey Pulliam reached double figures for the first time in 10 games, finishing with 13 points. It's his highest total in the last 14 games.
Nathan Mensah recorded double-digit rebounds for the fifth time this season and second straight game and added eight points and a block. It's the third time in his career he has back-to-back games with at least 10 rebounds. He finished with 13 boards. He has recorded at least one block in 40 of his 51 career Mountain West games.
The Aztecs took control of the contest with 14:10 to play in the first half.
Leading 13-11, San Diego State (18-7, 10-4 Mountain West) went on an 11-4 run sparked by seven points from Baker-Mazara and capped by a 3-pointer from the sophomore from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
San Jose State (8-20, 1-15 Mountain West) hung around, getting as close as seven points twice, before Lamont Butler and Bradley hit back-to-back buckets to send the Aztecs to the intermission up by 11 points, 36-25.
A 10-4 run to open the second half, led by four points from Pulliam, made it 46-29 with 17:22 to play. The Spartans got as close as 13 points before the first media timeout, but from there it was all Aztecs. SDSU led by as many as 26, 75-49, with just over two minutes to go and won by 25, 77-52.
The Aztecs shot over 50 percent for the fifth time this year, and fourth time in Mountain West play, hitting on 30-of-59 attempts.
San Diego State used a suffocating defense and offensive rebounding to keep the Spartans in check. SDSU forced 11 turnovers in the first half, 19 for the game, which it used to score 18 points. It had a 12-to-6 advantage on the offensive glass which resulted in a 13-to-2 difference in second chance points.
The Aztecs can't take much time to celebrate the victory, having to play at Wyoming on Monday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. MT and the game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
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