San Diego State falls 71–66 at Utah State in pivotal Mountain West showdown

Aztecs drop back into a first-place tie with Aggies

Utah State Aggies guard MJ Collins Jr. (2) and guard Elijah Perryman (1). | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

The San Diego State Aztecs let a Quad 1 victory opportunity and sole possession of first place in the Mountain West basketball race slip away in the final minutes of Saturday’s big matinee showdown at Utah State.

The Aztecs blew an 11-point first-half lead, went back ahead in the second half, but then went cold as the Aggies powered their way to a 71-66 victory before the loud student section known as “The HURD” and a CBS national audience.

So after being alone atop the conference for the last two weeks, the Aztecs (15-6, 9-2) slipped into a tie with Utah State (18-3, 9-2). New Mexico had the chance to make it a three-way tie at the top when it played at San Jose State on Saturday night. 

Reese Dixon-Waters had a big game with 19 points, despite missing several minutes in the second half with an ankle injury, but was the only Aztec in double figures. SDSU played impressive defense for good portions of the game, but MJ Collins, the MW’s leading scorer, hit two big 3-pointers in the final minutes to give the Aggies the lead. 

SDSU’s Miles Byrd, the MW Preseason Player of the Year, had two big blocks in the second half but was held to seven points. BJ Davis fouled out after scoring eight points. 

Bl🚫cked by @_mbyrd21!

📺: @CBS pic.twitter.com/AG1gDEMPqw

— San Diego State Men's Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) January 31, 2026

The Aztecs were outrebounded 46-31.

The big picture

After a rough non-conference schedule, the Aztecs have played themselves back into contention for an at-large NCAA Tournament bid in case they don’t claim the MW’s automatic bid that comes with winning the conference tournament. 

They could have solidified their resume with a Quad 1 victory. The Aggies came into the game No. 25 in the NCAA NET Rankings, which are used by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee as the primary sorting tool for selection and seeding for March Madness. SDSU was No. 45. 

The Aztecs and Aggies, who are headed for the Pac-12 next season, meet again on Feb. 25 at Viejas Arena. 

SDSU was the unanimous preseason pick to win the regular-season title and the Aggies were picked to finish second in the 12-team league. 

The MW regular-season champion gets the top seed in the tournament and the preferred noon Thursday tipoff in the quarterfinal round. 

The game

SDSU led 29-18 with 3:38 left in the first half before the Aggies began their comeback. The Aztecs had been playing tight defense, but a few breakdowns in the final minutes allowed the Aggies to close on a 9-0 run for a 34-34 halftime tie. The Aggies missed their first 11 shots from 3-point range but then made three of their next five. 

SDSU went back ahead in the next half, but the Aggies tied it at 52-all on Drake Allen’s 3-point play with 7:39 left. 

Byrd hit a huge 3 for a 59-59 tie, but Collins answered with a trey for a 62-59 lead. Collins hit another 3 a few minutes later to make it 66-61. Collins finished with 12 points.

The Aztecs closed to 68-66 on Dixon-Waters’ two free throws with just more than a minute to play, but got no closer. 

Karson Templin scored 18 for the Aggies. 

Lineup

The Aztecs were without 7-footer Magoon Gwath (hip flexor injury) for the fourth straight game and without freshman Elzie Harrington (leg injury) for the second straight game. Harrington reportedly was wearing a walking boot. 

Up next

The Aztecs return to Viejas Arena on Wednesday night to host Wyoming for the final time as MW opponents. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m., and the game will be aired on CBS Sports Network.

The Aztecs beat the Cowboys 74-57 in Laramie on Jan. 14.