San Diego State Aztecs

San Diego State beats Colorado State 71-62, keeps NCAA Tournament hopes alive

Miles Byrd leads way as Aztecs dominate on both ends of court
Bernie Wilson|
San Diego State Aztecs guard Miles Byrd (21).
San Diego State Aztecs guard Miles Byrd (21). | Photo courtesy of San Diego State University Athletics

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San Diego State Aztecs

Survive and advance. 

Those are the words the San Diego State Aztecs need to live by this week at the Mountain West Tournament in Las Vegas, where they almost certainly have to win three games in three days in order to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth straight season.

The No. 2 seed Aztecs (21-10, 15-6 MW) got off to a good start on Thursday night, when their trademark strong defense set up an impressive offensive display in a 71-62 victory against No. 7 Colorado State at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Miles Byrd, the newly minted MW Defensive Player of the Year, led the Aztecs with 12 points and eight rebounds, while Pharoh Compton and Reese Dixon-Waters scored 11 points apiece.

The Aztecs advanced to Friday night’s semifinal to play the winner of the late game between No. 3 New Mexico and No. 11 San Jose State. 

The Aztecs have no margin for error this week. Their NCAA bubble almost certainly burst during an ugly closing stretch that included four losses in six games. That means winning their final MW tournament and claiming the automatic berth is their only ticket to playing in March Madness for the sixth straight season. 

The Aztecs came into this season with elevated expectations, so anything less than another trip to the NCAAs will be considered a massive letdown.

They know it’s not going to be easy to run the table in Vegas, but say they’re up for the challenge. 

Getting past Colorado State was a big deal because the Rams had won nine of their last 10 games, including a stunning 83-74 victory against the Aztecs at Fort Collins on Feb. 21.

Game action

The Aztecs used an 11-0 run, punctuated by Magoon Gwath’s 3-pointer with 30 seconds left, to close the first half and take a 39-27 lead. Compton scored six points during that closing stretch and Byrd added a bucket. 

SDSU exerted its dominance on both ends of the floor. It outrebounced the Rams 43-31 and overwhelmed them in points in the paint, 42-8, second-chance points, 18-11, and bench points, 24-6.

Although the Rams made 13 of 34 3-pointers, they were held to just 33.3% overall from the field. 

The game was closer than it should have been because the Aztecs made just 22 of 42 free throws, with several misses down the stretch.

The Aztecs broke a string of five straight games in which they allowed their opponents to score at least 81 points. SDSU lost three of those games. 

Up next

Friday’s semifinal will tip off at 9 p.m. PT and air on CBS Sports Network. 

The Aztecs split with New Mexico, including a damaging loss at The Pit as part of a late-season swoon, and won 81-68 at San Jose State on Dec. 30 in the only meeting between the teams this season. 

The winner moves into the championship game on Saturday at 3 p.m. on CBS.

SDSU, CSU, Fresno State, Boise State and Utah State move into the new-look Pac-12 next season. 

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Bernie Wilson
BERNIE WILSON

Bernie Wilson recently retired from The Associated Press after nearly 41 years, including stops in Spokane, Los Angeles and, for the final 33 years, San Diego. He grew up in Coeur d'Alene and graduated from the University of Idaho.

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