SAN DIEGO, CALIF. – San Diego State earned their seventh consecutive victory and fourth straight win on Steve Fisher Court at Viejas Arena, outlasting the Lobos of New Mexico 83-79. The Aztecs now sit alone atop the Mountain West and own a 13-4 overall record on the season.
The first 11 and a half minutes of the game were tightly contested with neither team being able to pull away on the scoreboard. The Lobos were able to open a six-point lead with 12:44 on the clock, that would be their largest lead of the night. With eight minutes and 30 seconds remaining in the half Elzie Harrington knocked down a pull-up jump shot to kickstart a 24-7 scoring run. Reese Dixon-Waters and Miles Byrd would earn consecutive trips to the free throw line knocking down four straight attempts from the charity stripe. BJ Davis hit a midrange jumper before Byrd converted four more free throws to push San Diego State’s lead to eight. Sophomore guard Taj DeGourville dropped in a three-point shot from the wing and a made free throw with just over a minute remaining before Pharaoh Compton capped off the half with an offensive rebound and putback. The Aztecs went into the break with a 48-35 lead.
New Mexico responded in the second half, even tying the game with 3:33 remaining. With the score tied, Davis would find Miles Heide cutting to the basket for an emphatic dunk giving the Aztecs back the lead. Both teams would exchange buckets down to the wire with New Mexico taking a two-point lead after a Tomislav Buljan dunk only for Miles Heide to hit a pair of free throws to tie up the contest at 79-79 with 56 seconds on the clock. With time winding down on the shot clock and 10 seconds left in the game BJ Davis drove to his left and rose up for a contested shot that would find the bottom of the net and give the Aztecs the lead for good. After a defensive stand resulting in Dixon-Waters securing a rebound, drawing a foul and connecting on both of his free throws, San Diego State held an 83-79 lead as the final buzzer sounded.
Miles Byrd led all scorers with 21 points while also pulling down eight rebounds, swiping three steals and blocking a season best four shots. Pharaoh Compton (12 points), Taj DeGourville's season best (11 points) and Reese Dixon-Waters (10 points) all reached double figures as well.
San Diego State finished the night with solid shooting splits including 49 percent from the floor and 41 percent from behind the arc. The second unit continued to be a source of offensive production winning the bench points battle 37-12.
UP NEXT
The Aztecs remain undefeated in the Mountain West with a 7-0 record. They are now preparing for a two-game road trip starting with a visit to Phoenix, Ariz. Where they will face Grand Canyon who is coming off an upset victory over No. 23 Utah State. Tip-off against the Antelopes is set for 8:00 p.m. PT and will be broadcast on FS1.