SAN DIEGO – San Diego State put together a dominant second half en route to an 81-65 victory over Wyoming at Steve Fisher Court at Viejas Arena on Tuesday night.
After shooting 36.8 percent from the field through the first 20 minutes of play, the Aztecs (16-4, 5-2 Mountain West) shot a blistering 18-of-27 (66.7 percent) in the second half. San Diego State also forced Wyoming (10-9, 3-3 MW) to make 15 turnovers on the night leading to a 19-0 points off turnover advantage.
The night started as a back-and-forth battle as the first half saw 12 lead changes and seven ties. Ultimately, the Aztecs went into the break with a two-point lead, scoring six unanswered to close the half capped off by another Darrion Trammell halftime buzzer beater.
Reese Waters made the first shot of the second half but Wyoming responded with a 9-0 run on three consecutive three-pointers. However, the Aztecs immediately answered with a 9-0 scoring run of their own to reclaim the lead and never looked back. Outscoring the Cowboys by 21 across the final 17:53 of the game, SDSU cruised to their 81-65 victory.
"These guys are veterans. You don't have to say a whole lot at halftime," said Head Coach Brian Dutcher following the win. "We just give them a few adjustments. There's no rah-rah pep talk, they're ready to go. They play hard. They know they play the right way. The ball started going, and Darrion Trammell came in and was dynamic offensively. Lamont tied a career-high tonight with 23 points. These guys are hard to guard. They're very good players, so it's not for me to motivate them, it's for me to put them in positions to be successful. If they're frustrated with me, it's usually because I don't put them in enough situations where they can play their games. That's on me to try to put them in more situations where they can be dangerous."
Lamont Butler recorded his second career game with 20-plus points, leading all scorers and matching his career-high with 23. It is the second time this season he has led the Aztecs in scoring with SDSU winning both contests. He filled out the stat sheet with five rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
Jaedon LeDee scored 17 points in the win, his 17th game this season with 15-plus points this season and had a team-high seven rebounds. Trammell also reached double-figures with 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field.
The Aztecs will have the rest of the week and weekend off from game action as they get ready for a trip to Colorado State next Tuesday, Jan. 30. Tip from Fort Collins will be at 7 p.m. MT (6 p.m. PT).
Second Half Run Gives Aztecs Win Over Wyoming
