What San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher and the players said after win against Lamar

San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher found a lot to be happy about after his Aztecs beat Lamar 89-71 on Wednesday night.

Miles Byrd rebounded from a bout with the flu to score 19 points and BJ Davis had another big game off the bench with 16 points. The Aztecs (5-3) won their second straight game and third in four.

“The pace of the game was so much fun,” Dutcher said. “In the first half, back and forth. We scored 51 in the first half, and we used their press against them. We got up the floor and attacked early and often. We spread them out, drove, attacked, skipped the ball, and moved the ball pretty good.

“We weren't as good when the ball got sticky, trying to just play one-on-one without moving the defense. We hit a little wall late in the second half, where we didn't move it as well as we had in the first half. We got back to that late and I was really happy with our performance today, out-rebounding them by 10. …

For the most part, we scored 89 against a good defensive team. I am happy with our effort today.”

All the stars shined in last night’s win over Lamar! #GoAztecs pic.twitter.com/o48SfU6Tfk
— San Diego State Men's Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) December 11, 2025

Here are the highlights of Dutcher and the players’ news conference:

Dutcher on the impact Miles Byrd

“When Miles shoots it like that, when he starts getting the deep 3s to go, it opens his game up. He's got to find a way to finish better at the rim. He got down the baseline at the end, and he drove in there and had a turnover. He's got to play the full game where he can shoot the three and then attack off the bounce, get to the rim, and get to the foul line. He's growing his game still. As mature as he is in his fourth year, he still has room to grow. Hopefully, we'll continue to work on him to grow his game to where he wants it to be, and we want to be.”

Dutcher on what it means that all 11 players scored

“As a coach, every player scoring tells me we have a deep roster. We’ve got to find a way to keep them all playing with their confidence up and not get discouraged when their minutes vary from game to game. That can happen during the season. To keep them all pulling in the same direction, where winning is the most important thing, if they believe that and live like that, then we'll have a good season.”

Byrd on being a leader

“I'm a natural-born leader, and I try to encourage guys when they're not feeling it. I'm also a lot more confident and try to make sure my guys are feeling the same way. I want to play well and be a leader at the same time, which happens when I’m still being vocal and making sure we're doing the things we're supposed to be doing.”

Byrd on bouncing back from a scoreless performance

“I'm built for this; I'm confident in myself. I know the player that I am, and when things start getting tough, it's natural to be harder on yourself. Instead, I look within myself and take a step back and realize I'm forcing things too much. I have to let the game come to me. Health-wise, too, I feel a lot better out there. I was flying around a lot more, smiling a lot more, too.”

Davis on coming off the bench instead of starting

“I don't really think about coming off the bench, to be honest. If they need me to come off the bench and be that spark, I'll do that. It was on my mind at first, and now I'm grounded and focused on the bigger picture, which is winning.”

Davis on the offense’s success

“We are just playing together. The ball is moving faster and we are using our teammates to create open looks. If we continue to rally together as a team and set each other up with good looks, we can go really far.”