San Diego State cruises past Fresno State 83-60: 3 takeaways

San Diego State played a complete game on Tuesday night, defeating Fresno State 83-60 at Viejas Arena. The Aztecs extended their winning streak to 12 games against the Bulldogs, dating back to March 2019.

Despite shooting 3-14 from three-point range in the first half, San Diego State went into halftime with a 43-23 lead. The Aztecs scored 13 points off 11 first-half Fresno State turnovers, finishing with 10 layups and four dunks in the first 20 minutes.

The Aztecs (18-6, 11-4) won for the seventh time in their past eight games, leaving no doubt in Tuesday’s victory. San Diego State led for 39:21 of the game, taking advantage of a Fresno State team that has won one game in more than two months.

Leading wire-to-wire, San Diego State did not need a heroic run to complete a comeback as has become accustomed in recent weeks. The Aztecs dominated throughout, increasing the lead to as much as 32 points in the final minutes.

Fresno State (5-22, 1-15) will stay on the road, heading to Air Force this weekend. Their lone win in conference play came against the Falcons in Fresno last month.

Here are three takeaways from Tuesday’s game.

NICK BOYD REACHES 1,000 POINTS

Nick Boyd, a senior guard in his first season with the Aztecs after transferring in from Florida Atlantic, continued his recent form. Coming off a career-high 24 points in Saturday’s win over Boise State, Boyd poured in 13 of his 19 points in the first half while dishing out six assists over the first 20 minutes. He entered the night with 995 career points, wasting no time to reach the milestone.

After leading the Aztecs in scoring in five of six games during a stretch in December and January, Boyd has resumed that role over the past week. His emergence has coincided with San Diego State’s recent streak in conference play. With Utah State and New Mexico up next, the Aztecs will need Boyd at his best.

MAGOON GWATH NOT SLOWING DOWN

Coming off his third Mountain West Freshman of the Week award this season, San Diego State’s Magoon Gwath has shown no signs of slowing down during his breakout redshirt freshman campaign.

After tallying six points, three rebounds and three blocks in the first half, Gwath showed off his perimeter skills by knocking down two three-pointers in the early going of the second half.

Playing 23 minutes in the blowout, Gwath finished his night with 14 points on six of eight shooting to go along with six rebounds and three blocks. He’ll be on the big stage during Saturday’s game at Utah State, possibly eyeing yet another conference award.

STANDOUT NIGHT FOR THE LOCAL KIDS

Senior guard Wayne McKinney, playing his final season of college basketball after transferring from crosstown USD, played a season-high 27 minutes for the Aztecs on Tuesday night.

He responded by finishing with 15 points, two rebounds and two assists, knocking down three of San Diego State’s eight three-pointers on the night.

Fresno State forward Alex Crawford, a teammate of McKinney’s at Coronado High in San Diego, finished with 15 points and four rebounds on Tuesday. The duo combined for more than 40 points and 19 rebounds per game while helping the Islanders to a 24-5 season in 2021.

Kimo Ferrari, a local standout at Francis Parker High, is spending his final season with the Aztecs after three seasons at Brown University. Ferrari had five points, three rebounds and an assist against Fresno State.

MORE SAN DIEGO STATE NEWS & ANALYSIS

What San Diego State’s Brian Dutcher said after win vs. Fresno State

Updated NCAA tournament projections: San Diego State still not safely in

Mountain West basketball power rankings: San Diego State has a chance to move up

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