What San Diego State’s coach and players said after their second exhibition game

San Diego State’s basketball team looked impressive in beating San Diego 87-54 in its second and final exhibition game on Wednesday night. And that was without stars Miles Byrd and Magoon Gwath, who are still working their way back from injuries.

“We've improved from our first performance against UCLA. It wasn't because of the opponent, it’s because there were things we had to do that we got done,” coach Brian Dutcher said. “So if we'd have played UCLA again, we’d be better at certain things.”

Byrd played limited minutes in a 67-60 loss to preseason No. 12 UCLA due to an abdominal strain but sat out against the Toreros. Gwath has yet to be given full clearance for practice after having arthroscopic knee surgery in April.

The Aztecs, the unanimous choice to win the Mountain West, open the regular season at home against Long Beach State on Tuesday night.

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

Dutcher on where the Aztecs were better

“I thought we were today with our ball screen coverages, where we sent the ball defensively, and sometimes the stats don't tell the story. I felt like our press and our pressure were really good, yet we had 13 turnovers and they had 11. We didn't cause a lot of turnovers, but I thought the way we played and the pressure we put on early affected their rhythm offensively and impacted how they played to a large degree.”

Dutcher on rebounding

“I think the big stat of the night was outrebounding them 49-24. We also made more free throws than they took. Usually those are winning statistics, so I was happy with our performance. Now we have a week to get ready for our opener, and we will pour everything into getting ready for Long Beach State on Tuesday.”

Dutcher on starting lineups

“I wanted to switch it up. I told [Miles] Heide and Pharaoh [Compton] I was going to start one against UCLA and one against USD, and it might be that way all year because they're pretty even. BJ [Davis] didn't start for the first time in a long time and I thought he handled it pretty well. I told these guys that they have to find ways to be happy for themselves and happy for their teammates because we have a lot of depth on this team. If we all stay focused on the goal of winning and getting better, we can have a special season.”

Dutcher on shooting 42% from the 3-point line

“We have good shooters. We have to take the ones we took today, where we're stepping into them and making easy ones. We missed some, but we played unselfishly. We kicked, we made the extra pass and we spaced the floor pretty well. When you get step-in threes, if you make them, you get a chance to have a pretty good game and a pretty good season.”

Dutcher on freshmen Elzie Harrington and Tae Simmons

“Elzie [Harrington] plays with such great pace, it's natural to him. He probably has his whole career, so I don't have to teach him and he knows how to play. He's smart. Tae [Simmon]’s got a body, he doesn't look like a freshman. He's been granted some physical gifts. That's a harder position to adjust to, all that physicality, moving from high school to college where it's a beating every time you go out there in the paint, but he's got the body to deal with that. I'm happy with both guys.”

Harrington on the transition from high school to college

“I was very nervous, just because it was so built up, but by the first half, I realized that it's just basketball and the guys I'm going against every day are just as good or better than the people we play against.”

Harrington on the nerves in his second college game

“I feel like I was nervous, but I got over that. It's just trying to stay ready at all times and be ready to go.”

Pharaoh Compton on improving the defensive effort

“Obviously, it starts in practice, just being on the same page with the starting lineup and whoever's out there. I think talking is the biggest thing as well. I think we did a good job talking out there.”