SAN DIEGO – San Diego State basketball pushed their winning streak to five straight games with a 71-52 victory over the visiting Fresno State Bulldogs. The Aztecs move to perfect 5-0 in Mountain West play and have won three in a row on Steve Fisher Court.
The first half was a textbook Aztec’s defensive display. They held Fresno State to just 21% shooting from the field, forced 11 turnovers and pulled down 29 rebounds. Magoon Gwath was a force in his 11 minutes of first half action scoring nine points, grabbing seven rebounds and swatting away a pair of shots. Along with Gwath, the Aztecs pumped in 20 points in the paint while scoring another 10 points off Fresno State turnovers. For good measure San Diego State ended the half on an 8-3 run capped off with a BJ Davis isolation drive to the basket for two.
Gwath continued his offensive efficiency, adding another nine points to the stat sheet on his way to a game high 18. The first six minutes were all Aztecs as they kickstarted the half with 16-2 run. The Bulldogs did spark a short-lived rally scoring nine straight points across a two-minute stretch but a Tae Simmons layup with 7:03 left in the game halted Fresno States scoring run. The game was all but sealed late with an 8-2 burst by the Aztecs on the way to the final buzzer highlighted by an emphatic Miles Byrd putback dunk and a Sean Newman Jr. corner three.
Gwath led the way in his 23 minutes of playing time chipping in eight rebounds and two steals to go along with his game high 18 points. Reese Dixon-Waters and Miles Byrd also reached double figures in scoring with the two wings combing for 23 points. Byrd was dynamic in all facets of the game with six rebounds, six assists and a pair of steals. Dixon-Waters secured a season’s best nine rebounds as well. Alongside the trio’s offensive output the team's defense was stellar. Fresno State was only able to connect on 31% of their shot attempts while committing 17 turnovers. The Aztecs were able to convert those turnovers into 13 points. Brian Dutcher’s squad was also dominant in the interior as they won the rebounding battle 48-35 and scored 38 points in the paint compared to Fresno State’s 18.
UP NEXT
The Aztecs remain undefeated in the Mountain West with a 5-0 record. The team will be back in action after a four-day break from game action as they prepare to head to Laramie to face the Cowboys of the University of Wyoming. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. PST and will be televised on CBS Sports Network.