Aztecs Defeat Bethune-Cookman 88-75

SAN DIEGO –San Diego State Men’s Basketball continued their winning ways securing their third straight victory and second win of the season on Steve Fisher Court inside Viejas Arena. The Aztecs defeated the Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman University by a final score of 88-75. It was the first time the two programs have faced off and with their victory the Aztecs now own a 12-0 all-time record against the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

San Diego State would score first behind a pair of Elzie Harrington free throws. With just over 14 minutes in the first half the Wildcats kickstarted a 10-2 scoring run to take a 19-13 lead after the first ten minutes of action. The Aztecs responded with six consecutive points courtesy of sophomores Tae Simmons, Chance Gladden and Elzie Harrington to tie the game with eight minutes and 26 seconds left in the first frame of play.

The rest of the half was a back-and-forth affair with neither team able to separate from one another. The Aztecs carried a one-point lead into the break with freshman guard David Torresani converting a pair of free throws for the final points of the half for SDSU. Elzie Harrington led all first half scorers with 11 points while shooting 4-7 from the field. Isaiah Sy provided a spark off the bench with well rounded contributions. He led all players with five rebounds and four assists to just one first half turnover. San Diego State’s offense was efficient from the floor shooting 56 percent as a team, but nine SDSU turnovers and eight offensive rebounds provided Bethune-Cookman enough extra possessions to keep the game tightly contested.

Both teams opened the second half quickly with the Wildcats converting a driving layup on their first possession. Harrington knocked down his second three point shot for the Aztec’s first bucket of the half. SDSU was able to open up a seven-point lead with 16 minutes left in the game thanks to five unanswered points from Bear Cherry. Bethune-Cookman continued to rally, hitting three shots from behind the arc across a two-minute span to tie the game 53-53. From that point on SDSU would outscore the Wildcats 35-22 through the final buzzer. Latrell Davis led the way with eight points in the final 13:30 of the game. Isaiah Sy hit consecutive shots from behind the arc to keep momentum on the Aztec’s sideline as well.

Davis led all scorers with a season high 26 points while shooting 73 percent from the floor. Elzie Harrington also controlled the offense dishing out a career best eight assists to go along with a season best 18 points. The sophomore also did not commit a single turnover in over 33 minutes of playing time. San Diego State’s starting frontcourt of Tae Simmons and Bear Cherry combined to score 25 points on 11-13 shooting from the field. As a team San Diego State dominated the paint scoring 52 points compared to just 28 for Bethune-Cookman. Head coach Brian Dutcher’s defense intensified in the second half holding their opponent to just 40 percent shooting. The offense caught fire shooting 80 percent from the floor and a blistering 71 percent from behind the arc in the second frame of the game. The teams exchanged free throws over the final 60 seconds before Simmons scored a layup with 12 seconds on the clock to seal the win.

UP NEXT

San Diego State will now prepare to face New Mexico State in the Compete 4 Cancer Classic in Oceanside, California. It will be the ninth meeting all-time between the two programs with tip-off set for 1:00 p.m. PT. The game will be broadcast live on KUSI-CW with radio coverage on San Diego Sports 760.