San Diego State finishes regular season with blow out of Nevada: 3 takeaways
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San Diego State closed out the regular season on Saturday night, leaving no doubt in an 80-61 win over Nevada in front of a sellout crowd at Viejas Arena.
The victory clinched a season sweep for the Aztecs over Nevada and marked their 13th consecutive win over the Wolfpack at Viejas Arena. Four Aztecs finished in double figures led by Nick Boyd. The Florida Atlantic transfer had 18 points on 7-10 shooting while dishing out four assists. Miles Heide, Pharoah Compton and BJ Davis each joined Boyd in double figures, helping San Diego State cruise to the victory. The Aztecs will head to Las Vegas early next week, set to open the Mountain West Conference tournament against Boise State on Thursday.
Here are three takeaways from Saturday’s victory.
SAN DIEGO STATE’S DEFENSE RETURNS AT HOME
San Diego State’s topflight defense was not on display in Tuesday’s loss at UNLV. Leading at halftime against the Runnin’ Rebels, San Diego State allowed UNLV to get loose, shooting 65 percent in the second half en route to a 71-64 victory. UNLV knocked down 12 of their 24 three-point attempts with Julian Rishwain scoring a career high 26 points in the game.
Returning to their home court for senior night on Saturday, San Diego State’s defense returned. The Aztecs used a 15-0 first half run to take a 43-21 lead into the halftime break. As Nevada tried to cut into the second half deficit, San Diego State was able to come up with key stops to keep the Wolfpack at bay.
Nevada shot 40 percent from the field for the game and made five of their 23 three-point attempts. They finished the night with 12 turnovers and just eight assists as the Aztecs limited them to four fastbreak points and five second chance points.
CONTRIBUTIONS FROM TOP TO BOTTOM
Nick Boyd led San Diego State on Saturday night with an efficient 18 points and four assists on 7-10 shooting but was one of many with standout offensive nights. Miles Heide, who entered the starting lineup when Magoon Gwath went down last month, continues to show improvement. He had 14 points (5-5 shooting) and six rebounds across his 25 minutes of action.
Forwards Pharoah Compton and Demarshay Johnson Jr. made the most of their minutes off the bench. Compton had 13 points, three rebounds, and two assists in 17 minutes while Johnson Jr. had four points, a rebound and a block in 10 minutes.
Miles Byrd finished with eight points on 3-6 shooting while playing a team high 34 minutes. Byrd didn’t force anything against Nevada, contributing across the board in what was a standout offensive performance for the Aztecs. He knocked down two three-pointers while finishing with six rebounds, five assists, three steals and a block.
DOMINANCE AGAINST NEVADA CONTINUES
Saturday’s win marked the 13th consecutive home victory against Nevada for the Aztecs. They’ve won 15 of their past 18 games overall against the Wolfpack, capturing both games by 19 points this season.
The Aztecs never trailed and led for 39:06 of the game on Saturday. They held a double-digit lead for more than 31 minutes. At one point San Diego State had stretched their lead to 28, their largest lead against a Mountain West foe this season.
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-770033d1c5c4820fdbde4ecf2452e810.jpg "Bodie De Silva")
Bodie DeSilva has been covering sports in San Diego for more than a decade. He previously covered San Diego State athletics for Scout/Fox Sports.