Aztecs’ “grit” allows them to overcome early mistakes

Aztecs

Credit: Don De Mars/EVT Sports

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Credit: Don De Mars/EVT Sports

“I’ve always said from the start of the year that this is a gritty team,” head coach Brian Dutcher said postgame against San Jose State. “They have a lot of grit about them, and they had it again tonight.”

Dutcher is aware that his team has grit. He’s mentioned it multiple times this season. After the win against San Jose State, he, Miles Byrd, and Magoon Gwath all praised the Spartans and understood that they would play the Aztecs tough.

“It was a really hard-fought game,” Gwath said postgame. “They punched us in the mouth to start, and we all regrouped together and came back to get a hard-fought win.”

Dutcher followed up minutes later at the end of his opening statement.

“This was a good home victory for us against a San Jose State team that plays everybody close and just hasn’t gotten over the hurdle. They are a good team and really good offensively.”

The San Diego State Aztecs improved to 14-5 on the season and 7-3 in Mountain West play. They are alone in fourth place in the conference with an opportunity to do more damage at home this Saturday night against Wyoming.

What the Win Means

The Aztecs avoided what would have been a Quad 4 loss on Tuesday night. Despite the victory, the Scarlet and Black dropped two spots in the NET rankings from 42 to 44. SDSU remains perfect at 6-0 in Quad 4 games and are 3-3 in Quad 1 games, and 2-1 in both Quad 2 & 3. Their 4-1 road record and 38 WAB (Wins Above Bubble) are keeping the Aztecs in a good position for the NCAA Tournament. As of now, SDSU would make it. They cannot afford many more losses and especially cannot afford a Quad 3 or 4 loss.

The win against San Jose State showed that this team is never out of it. They trailed by 21 points against a good offensive team. The Aztecs’ defense proved to be too good late in the game, but for the most part, the Spartans just hit their shots. They shot 9-16 from beyond the arc in the first half and made 15 total for the game. No team has made 15 triples in a contest against SDSU since Syracuse did it in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. The Spartans hit their shots, especially early, and looked as if they could upset the Aztecs at Viejas Arena. However, Dutcher and his team never wavered.

“These are young kids playing their hearts out,” Dutcher said postgame. “They make mistakes and we made a lot of them. We had 11 turnovers in the first half. We were trying to go too fast. When they make 15 threes out of 31 shots in a game, you don’t think you are going to win. That’s a hard thing to overcome, but we found a way to do it. It was a lot like Air Force. They went ahead early, and we tried to go too fast. We tried to get ten points in one possession, and that’s not going to happen.”

He continued on with his statement.

Credit: Don De Mars/EVT Sports

“As we settled in and started running more offense, sharing and moving the ball, we found more opportunities to score. We weren’t perfect, but we moved the ball better. We had 16 assists, and Boyd had an incredible line. He had 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and scored the ball. He had a full floor game for us tonight. I got on Byrd in the first half and told him at halftime that he had to play better. He was pressing the game too hard. He responded and I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t think he could handle it. He’s in his third year in the program. I got on him maybe a bit too much, and to his credit, he came out and performed really well in the second half. He hit timely threes and got the momentum going for us.”

Byrd is the Aztecs’ best player. He may not lead the team in scoring every night, but he is the first player every opponent looks at on the scouting report. Byrd is aware of that. He understands he will draw multiple defenders all night long. Byrd tries to involve his teammates early and that could be why we aren’t seeing him scoring early in games.

Dutcher has coached these types of players in the past. Jaedon LeDee, Jalen McDaniels, Malachi Flynn, and Matt Bradley come to mind. Those players drew multiple defenders all the time but found ways to make plays and not let early troubles affect them.

Byrd was asked postgame how he stays composed during the course of a game.

“It’s pretty easy to stay composed when everything is going your way. It’s staying with it in the first half and trying to fight through the frustration. A lot of the teams in the league started playing me really physically, which has led to me getting off to a slow start in the past few games. I just got to stay with it and trust my team. They did a great job of getting on me the right way, telling me to stay in the game, they need me, and they’ll come out in the second half.”

Byrd did not score in the first half against the Spartans, but Gwath scored 14 to keep the team in it. Byrd ended the night with 13 points, all in the second half.

Player of the Game: Magoon Gwath

Gwath just completed consecutive games, scoring double digits for the first time in his career. He has scored double figures in three other outings, including his career-high of 25 against Fresno State. The 7-footer got close on Tuesday night by scoring 24 points in the win. He grabbed seven rebounds with an assist and one block.

Gwath was really the only Aztec who could hit shots in the first half. He scored 14 of the 29 points. He ended the night 3-6 from deep and his three-pointers were all timely.

“He makes every play on the floor, not afraid to shoot it, not afraid to drive it, and he gets in there and rebounds,” Dutcher said postgame. “He’ll set the screen. He’s in the second half of his freshman year and is showing strides that he’s more comfortable. He knows how to drive and kick and when to attack. He’s getting a better feel for minutes, and as he continues to grow, we continue to get better.”

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Unsung Hero: Nick Boyd

Boyd is the unsung hero of the contest. He had a big night with 11 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and one steal. He made multiple plays and hit timely shots down the stretch. Six of his points came from drives to the rim, where he attacked and earned the foul plus the basket. After Byrd took the lead late in the second half with a deep triple, Boyd followed up with a clutch and-one to extend the lead.

Every point mattered in this win.

The Aztecs used grit and determination to come back against San Jose State. That won’t be the last time they need it, either. Every night in the Mountain West is a battle.

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