What San Diego State’s players said after an exhibition loss to UCLA

Reese Dixon-Waters happy to be back, but he wanted to win

San Diego State Aztecs guard Taj DeGourville (24). | Photo courtesy of San Diego State University Athletics

There were mixed emotions for the San Diego State Aztecs after a 67-60 exhibition loss to No. 12 UCLA on Friday night.

The Aztecs weren’t happy about their slow start, which saw them fall behind 17-0 as they committed 10 turnovers in the first seven minutes before finally scoring. It was UCLA’s first game in San Diego in front of paying fans since 1991, and the Aztecs sure would have loved to have won it, even if it was just an exhibition. 

On the flip side, senior guard Reese Dixon-Waters was back on the court after missing all of last year with a foot injury. He led the Aztecs with 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field. 

“The game was a lot of fun. I'm happy that I am healthy, able to play, and to help the team,” Dixon-Waters said. 

Donovan Dent scored 18 for the Bruins. 

SDSU 7-footer Magoon Gwath sat out as he continues to recover from April knee surgery and guard Miles Byrd was limited as he comes back from an abdominal strain.

Here are the highlights of the players’ postgame news conference:

Dixon-Waters on the game overall

“Although it is an exhibition game, I'm still upset that we lost. I still look at it like a real game, so I'm not going to celebrate that I scored a lot or I'm back on the court.”

Dixon-Waters on what he liked and disliked from the game

“I liked how we stood together in moments, in the first half and second half. We are going to improve things in those areas: our turnovers, our decision making, and just playing with more pace and patience.” 

Dixon-Waters on how he thought the team defended Donovan Dent

“He is a good guard. We did a pretty good job, but I think everybody, including myself, could have been better at being in our gaps, getting out to shooters, and not allowing them to get downhill to create shots. He got downhill a lot. He got a lot of his points at the free-throw line. We all have areas to work on in terms of our defense.”

Sophomore guard Taj DeGourville on what clicked in the second half for the team

“We did a good job staying together as a team when we were down 17. Once our first bucket went in, we said, ‘Come on, let's pick this up.’ It was a wake-up for us.”

DeGourville on what he liked and disliked about the game

“I liked how we were able to rally and come back. It was nice to see us stay together. One thing we need to work on is keeping our turnovers under control.”