What San Diego State seniors Jared Coleman-Jones, Wayne McKinney, Kimo Ferrari said after win vs. Nevada
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San Diego State played their final home game of the season on Saturday night, blowing past Nevada 80-61 to complete the season sweep of the Wolfpack.
The Aztecs put together a 15-0 scoring run in the first half to grab a 22-point halftime lead. San Diego State scored 36 points in the paint, got 25 points from their bench and turned eight Nevada turnovers into 20 points.
Point guard Nick Boyd led the way with 18 points and was joined in double figures by Miles Heide (14), Pharoah Compton (13) and BJ Davis (10). Miles Byrd and Wayne McKinney each scored eight points, giving the Aztecs a balanced effort that led to a strong offensive showing.
The Aztecs ended the regular season in fourth place in the Mountain West Conference. They’ll open up the conference tournament on Thursday afternoon in Las Vegas, taking on five-seed Boise State in the quarterfinal round.
Here’s everything San Diego State’s senior trio of Wayne McKinney, Kimo Ferrari and Jared Coleman-Jones said after Saturday’s regular season finale against Nevada.
Wayne McKinney
On his favorite moment from senior night:
“It was great to see how proud everybody was of each other. We've been in the gym and the weight room day and night. We've all been together for a while now, and just seeing everything come together for senior night, to go hard and get a win, the whole night was picture perfect.”
On helping the team take control of both ends of the floor:
“It starts from the practice we put in this week. We were dialed in on the offensive end. Our defense helped us get to our spots on offense. We're getting transition points by emphasizing trying to get to the paint and kicking out. It was great for everybody to touch the rock and swing it around, get assists and paint touches, and kick outs and threes. My teammates found me in good open spots, and I'm thankful for that.”
Kimo Ferrari
On his favorite moment from senior night:
“Just watching the guys play. It's a culmination of all our hard work, and to set the tone like that in the first half in what is a must-win game for us speaks to all the work we put in these past couple months. You saw a defensive master class, so it was great to watch that. Not a specific moment, but that first half was special to watch.”
On the team’s mentality ahead of the Mountain West Tournament:
“We are all new guys. Coach Dutcher said in the locker room that he's been the head coach for seven years and he's been to the Mountain West championship game seven times. Every single game is a must-win. We owe it to the program and to the guys that came before us. We're going to try our best to get into that championship game. That's our mentality going into this tournament.”
Jared Coleman-Jones
On the momentum going into the Mountain West Tournament:
“This game just gives us a lot of momentum. That was a must-win game for us. Moving forward to the tournament, we are not planning on losing. Getting a win like that at home gives us a lot of momentum moving forward.”
On his favorite moment from senior night:
“It's crazy to have that feeling of seeing the guys do their thing on senior night, but the part that was the most bittersweet for me was at the end when I was walking around the arena, dapping everybody up. Seeing all those faces, it hit me in my chest that it was my last time. It was an amazing moment. I felt every emotion, so it was great.”
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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.