ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – San Diego State was tripped up by New Mexico on Saturday morning, falling short in an 81-76 decision at The Pit.
The Aztecs (19-9, 13-5 MW) move to second place in the Mountain West, where they are tied with the Lobos (22-7, 13-5), one game behind Utah State.
Four Aztecs scored in double figures, led by Miles Byrd with 17 points, seven rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block. Magoon Gwath and BJ Davis each put up 11 points and three rebounds, while Gwath also added two blocks. Freshman Elzie Harrington recorded 10 points and one assist.
The Lobos were led by Buljan Tomisla, who had 24 points and 18 rebounds. Luke Haupt (17 points), Jake Hall (14 points) and Uriah Tenette (10 points) scored in double figures as well.
Byrd opened the scoring with a steal and fast break dunk a minute and a half into the game, followed by a layup by Gwath, assisted by Miles Heide. A three from Sean Newman Jr. at the 14:19 mark launched the Aztecs into a 14-5 run over the following four minutes, giving San Diego State a 22-13 lead halfway through the first stanza. The Scarlet and Black took its largest lead with 5:59 left on the clock after Reese Dixon-Waters sank a triple to go up by 11 points. The Lobos got hot in the final six minutes, going on a 17-7 run of their own to pull within one. The Aztecs entered the break with a 37-36 advantage.
The second half was a back-and-forth battle with neither team ever leading by more than six. Harrington and Byrd opened up the half with a pair of buckets, but the Lobos responded. After a couple of lead changes, New Mexico was able to hold off San Diego State for the final 14 minutes on its way to an 81-76 victory.
UP NEXT
San Diego State will head to ExtraMile Arena to face Boise State (17-11, 9-8 MW) at 6 p.m. PT on Tuesday. The Aztecs will then wrap up its regular season at Steve Fisher Court at Viejas Arena on March 6 against UNLV, beginning at 7 p.m.