San Diego State dominates Air Force in final Mountain West matchup

Aztecs get a week off and hope to welcome back Magoon Gwath, Elzie Harrington

San Diego State Aztecs guard BJ Davis (10). | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

San Diego State’s final road trip to play Air Force went pretty much as expected. 

The only drama ended quickly, when the Aztecs overturned an early 5-0 deficit and raced to an 88-54 victory against the free-falling Falcons in a game between Mountain West teams on opposite ends of the standings.

BJ Davis scored 16 points to lead five Aztecs in double figures. Miles Heide had 13, Reese Dixon-Waters 12 and Jeremiah Oden and Pharoh Compton 11 apiece.

SDSU (17-6, 11-2 MW) remained tied atop the MW standings with Utah State, which won at Wyoming, 85-83. Air Force (3-20, 0-12) lost its 16th straight game, including an 81-58 defeat at SDSU on Dec. 17 in the MW opener for both teams.

SDSU beat Air Force for the 13th straight time overall and seventh straight time at Clune Arena. 

From the logo 🫣 @BJDavis_10 #GoAztecs pic.twitter.com/cZ5PA18ZiD

— San Diego State Men's Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) February 8, 2026

SDSU is leaving the MW for the new-look Pac-12 effective July 1, along with Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and Utah State. 

Air Force is among the teams staying behind, and SDSU coach Brian Dutcher has no intention of scheduling a non-conference home-and-home series with former conference rivals that play at altitude. 

Air Force has been without coach Joe Scott since being indefinitely suspended on Jan. 17 pending an investigation into the treatment of players. 

The big picture

After losing at Utah State a week earlier, Dutcher wanted to get through a home game against Wyoming on Tuesday night (which the Aztecs won 72-63) and the game at Air Force in good shape in preparation for the stretch drive. 

The Aztecs get a midweek bye, meaning a week off before hosting Nevada next Saturday night. The rest will do them good, and they could get 7-footer Magoon Gwath and freshman Elzie Harrington back in time to face the Wolf Pack. Gwath missed his sixth straight start due to a hip flexor injury and Harrington missed his fourth straight start with a leg injury. 

After hosting Nevada, the Aztecs host Grand Canyon on Feb. 17, travel to Colorado State on Feb. 21 and then host Utah State on Feb. 25. 

San Diego State had appeared to be in good shape for an at-large NCAA Tournament berth in case they didn't become the MW automatic qualifier by winning the conference tournament. However, ESPN bracket expert Joe Lunardi listed them among the First Four Out in his Friday update. 

A strong stretch run could help their chances of an at-large bid, but their best bet remains winning the MW tournament. 

Game action

SDSU had an impressive defensive performance by forcing 22 turnovers, blocking seven shots and holding Air Force to 39.6% shooting from the field. 

The Aztecs shot 60%, with Davis going 7 of 8.