Inside The Wildcats

No. 1 Arizona Runs Through San Diego State in Dominating Second Half

The Wildcats battled the Aztecs hard in the first half but eventually pulled away for another convincing victory.
Nathaniel Martinez|
Dec 20, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Jaden Bradley (0) controls the ball against San Diego State Aztecs guard BJ Davis (10) during the Hall of Fame Series at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Dec 20, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Jaden Bradley (0) controls the ball against San Diego State Aztecs guard BJ Davis (10) during the Hall of Fame Series at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

In this story:

Arizona Wildcats

The No. 1-ranked Arizona Wildcats once again showed why they are the best team in the country, surging to a 68-45 victory in Phoenix after a shaky first half that saw the San Diego State Aztecs trade blows in a 28-27 period.

It was a gritty first half of play in which both teams struggled to find their shots from the field. Arizona (11-0) went 9-for-25 while San Diego State (6-4) went 8-for-29.

What kept the Aztecs in the game was a hard-nosed offensive plan that attacked the rim and got to the free-throw line, while Arizona's unwavering defense, which shuts teams down and ranks fourth in the Big 12 in opponent field goal percentage, kept them from scoring.

Senior guard Jaden Bradley and freshman forward Koa Peat led the team in points with 11. Peat was the only starting player to shoot above 50% from the field (5-for-9).

Koa Pea
Dec 16, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Koa Peat (10) dunks the ball during the first half of the game against the Abilene Christian Wildcats at McKale Memorial Center. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Tobe Awaka came off the bench and led the team in rebounds, coming down with 15 of them over 22 minutes played and scoring nine points. Motiejus Krivas was second on the team in rebounds, reeling in 13 on a night when he scored just three points, all of which came from the free throw line.

Ultimately, Awaka's physicality and presence at the rim are what made Arizona run away with the game in the second half, as he came down with 10 rebounds, sparking a huge run by the Wildcats.

First half struggles

Arizona found themselves down 19-11 with 10 minutes left in the first half, mainly due to SDSU outrebounding the Wildcats and taking advantage of turnovers.

Eventually, Arizona was able to catch up with the Aztecs and make it a 21-18 game with 8 minutes left in the half. SDSU kept playing a physical style of offense that gave the Wildcats problems and found itself with a 27-20 lead with two and a half minutes left until halftime.

The Wildcats then went on a late 8-0 run to end the half with a 28-27 lead. That run was capped off by a made 3-point shot by Anthony Dell'Orso with 32 seconds left.

Arizona led in rebounds, 22-16, but 10 turnovers kept the Aztecs in the game in the first half. Brayden Burries led the team in points with seven, while Krivas led in rebounds with seven.

Second-half surge

Nov 7, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd reacts toward the referee during the second half of the game against the Utah Tech Trailblazers at McKale Memorial Center. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Arizona made all the necessary adjustments at halftime and stormed its way to outscoring SDSU 40-18, crashing the boards and hitting all the big shots to do so.

Yet again, the Aztes were able to stand toe-to-toe with the Wildcats and found themselves down 32-31 with 16 minutes left in the game, until a pair of free throws by Krivas put Arizona further in the lead, 34-31. Ivan Kharchenkov followed that up with a big 3-point shot to make it 37-31 with just under 15 minutes left.

The Aztecs scored two points to make it a 37-33 game, but Arizona jumped to a 16-3 run, making it a 53-36 game with 8 minutes left to play.

SDSU knocked down a pair of free throws, shortening Arizona's lead to 53-38, but the Wildcats once again took off on a 15-4 run, putting them even further up 65-42 with just over a minute left to play.

SDSU scored the final three points of the game to end with 45 as a team, but Arizona's second-half dominance was too much to overcome, and the Wildcats left Mortgage Matchup Center still undefeated.

Just two more games remain until the Wildcats begin Big 12 play. The next time Arizona will take the court is this Monday when it plays Bethune-Cookman in the McKale Center at 7 p.m. (MST).

Tell us your thoughts on Arizona's latest dominant victory by commenting on our Facebook page. Also, be sure to follow @NateMartTSports on X for updates on all things Arizona Wildcats.

Published
Nathaniel Martinez
NATHANIEL MARTINEZ

Nathaniel Martinez and a set of shoulder pads at 7 years old. He later graduated from Pima Community College in 2023, where he began writing for the Pima Post. He is working to achieve a Bachelor’s in Mass Communication and Media Studies.