SAN DIEGO – San Diego State officially began Mountain West play, welcoming the Air Force Falcons to Steve Fisher Court for the first conference showdown of the season. The Aztec’s would pull away in the second half to end the night with a convincing 81-58 victory that extends their winning streak to three games.
The first half of play was a tightly contested affair with the Aztecs taking a 33-30 lead into the break. The Aztec’s controlled the interior early, leaning on the play of Magoon Gwath, Miles Heide and Pharaoh Compton. The trio would combine for 18 points and eight rebounds while shooting 8-10 from the floor. As a team, San Diego State created separation from the Falcons midway through the half thanks to an 11-0 run capped off with a Miles Byrd midrange jump shot.
The start of the second half saw the two teams exchange baskets before the Aztecs put together a 10-3 run with 15 minutes on the clock giving San Diego State an 11-point lead that would eventually ballon to over 20 points. Super sixth-man BJ Davis exploded in the second half after a quiet 11 minutes in the first. Davis scored 17 points, was a perfect 4-4 from three and handed out four assists without committing a turnover. As a team, San Diego State was firing on all cylinders, finishing the second half with a scorching 68% field goal percentage while also hitting seven threes to the tune of 58% from behind the arc.
The Aztec’s defense shined by limiting Air Force to just 41% shooting from the floor and 33% shooting from three-point territory. San Diego State also won the rebounding battle decisively by a margin of 35-26. Their 13 offensive rebounds led directly to 16 second chance points. BJ Davis would finish with a game-high 19 points, and his six assists were tied with Elzie Harrington for the game high as well. Miles Heide has continued to be a force on the glass with eight more rebounds leading all players; this marks the fourth time this year he has been the Aztec’s leading rebounder.
UP NEXT
The Aztecs move to 1-0 in conference play and have won three straight. They now turn their attention to a highly anticipated road matchup against the AP Poll No. 1 team in the nation, the Arizona Wildcats. This marks the second matchup this year against an AP Top 10 program for the Aztecs. Tipoff on Saturday, December 20th is set for 7:30 p.m. PST at the Mortgage Matchup Center on ESPN 2.