San Diego State (6-4, 1-0) vs. Whittier (7-2, 1-1)

Viejas Arena – San Diego, CA

December 22, 2025, at 1 pm PT

TV: KUSI

Radio: San Diego Sports 760AM

The Aztecs are back home to finish their non-conference schedule against a Division III opponent.

Less than forty hours after a 68-45 loss in Phoenix to the top-ranked team in the country, the Aztecs return home to play Whittier College in a rare weekday matinee affair. Since the Poets are not a Division I school, the game will count towards the Aztecs’ win-loss record but will not appear on SDSU’s official NCAA resume and will not impact their NET or KenPom rankings. 

Unlike their first nine contests of 2025, the loss to the Wildcats on Saturday night was reminiscent of the Aztecs of seasons past. Suffocating defense, but the offense could not buy a bucket. 

The Aztecs held the Wildcats to their lowest point total of the season and 22 points under their season average. In doing so, they became just the second non-power conference opponent to hold the Tommy Lloyd-led Wildcats to 68 points or less (five seasons). 

But the offense reverted to its previous ways and could not take advantage of its strong defense. After averaging 81.8 ppg through their first nine games, the Aztecs were held to nearly half of that. 

None of the Aztecs reached double-digit points, and the team collectively shot 26.3% from the field and made only one of 14 from behind the arc. The 2nd-best scoring bench in the country (43 ppg) also let them down, scoring only 17 points. BJ Davis, the team’s leading scorer, was held to four points on 1 of 12 shooting.

The Aztecs led 27-20 late in the first half but gave up the final eight points of the half to trail at halftime and were outscored 40 to 18 in the second half. They were outrebounded 52 to 28 by the Wildcats, surrendering 20 on the offensive end. Against the Poets’ lineup that does not include anyone taller than 6-8, the Aztecs should dominate the glass all game long. 

In this contest against a Division III school, head coach Brian Dutcher would love his star trio of Miles Byrd, Reese Dixon-Waters, and Magoon Gwath to find offensive consistency before they resume conference play. All three have struggled mightily in recent games and are averaging only a combined 29.1 ppg. Byrd and Dixon-Waters are both shooting below 40% from the field.  

Getting to Know the Poets

Whittier is located in southeastern Los Angeles County with a population of less than 100,000 residents. The Poets come to San Diego on a three-game winning streak and are undefeated in two games on the road. They play in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. 

Head coach Mark Jensen has ten newcomers on the roster, including two from abroad. The Poets average 87.6 ppg, shoot 50% from the field, 40% from behind the arc, and 71% from the charity stripe. They made a team-high 15 threes against West Coast Baptist on November 11. 

Defensively, they allow 45% from the field, and collect 8.6 steals and 3 blocks per game. 

Jonathan Duley leads the team in scoring (20.4 ppg) in nearly 30 minutes. He shoots 53% (68/128) from the field and 49% (33/68) from 3-point land. 

Brandon Andrews (11.7), Jaden Mathis (10.2), and Peyton Guerrero (10.0) round out the double-digit per-game scorers for the Poets. 

Tochi Onyeador, the tallest player on the team, leads them with 9.8 rpg and 15 total blocks. No other player on the roster has more than four. He also makes 74% (32/43) of his field goal attempts. 

Andre Haghverdian

Avid sports fan and historian of basketball, baseball, football and soccer. UC San Diego and San Diego State alumni living in America’s Finest City. Diverse team following across multiple sports leagues, but Aztecs come first in college athletics.