SDSU uses a 17-0 run to begin the second half to escape San Jose with yet another narrow victory

On Tuesday night, the San Diego State Aztecs and San Jose State Spartans met for a Mountain West battle. The Aztecs responded after a loss at Colorado State, and many expected them to dominate the Spartans on Tuesday night. That did not happen. However, what you did see was a tale of two halves and a whole lot of grit.

“I told them they couldn’t give up, they couldn’t give in, and I’d find something offensively that would work,” head coach Brian Dutcher said postgame to former NBA star Darren Collison. “The first half, they dominated us. Ball screens, they were doubling us, we couldn’t find anybody, and turned it over 13 times. Second half, we flashed the big man and got into action, opened the floor up more, and just played freer and I think that helped us.”

The Spartans did not have their top two offensive players available for this contest, Josh Uduje and Will McClendon. Despite that, the Spartans hit five of their first six shots to begin the game and jumped out to a quick 12-6 advantage.

The Aztecs started 0-4 from deep, while SJSU nailed two of their four from beyond the arc. The Aztecs needed to start converting on their open looks. The Spartans controlled a 17-11 lead with 11:43 remaining in the first half.

The three-point shooting continued to be an issue for the Aztecs. They could not make one. Luckily for SDSU, BJ Davis was able to draw a couple of fouls and trim the deficit down to five after they trailed by nine.

The Spartans were the better team in the first half and it was not particularly close. They showed up aggressively, whereas the Aztecs played like they did not want to be there. The scoring drought continued for the Aztecs. They went over three minutes without a point and were 1-11 from the floor during that stretch. SDSU’s three-point shooting remained non-existent as they were 0-13 from beyond the arc in the half.

San Jose State took a 37-20 lead into the locker room. The Aztecs needed to respond with one of their better second halves in years to avoid a Quad 4 loss. Luckily for them, they did so.

The second half started much stronger as Davis nailed a triple for the Aztecs first of the contest. On the next possession, Nick Boyd got fouled, attempting a triple. He made all three free throws, and the Aztecs started the second 20 minutes on an 8-0 run. San Jose State called a timeout as they led 37-28 with 17:41 remaining in the game.

Boyd kept his energy flowing, and the team followed his lead. The Aztecs started the second half on a 17-0 run to tie the game at 37. It took fewer than five minutes to get it done.

Another steal leads to a game-tying layup from @NicholaswBoyd!
📺: @CBSSportsCBB pic.twitter.com/PzCc9aY1CK

— San Diego State Men’s Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) February 12, 2025

Trailing 44-43 with just under 13:00 remaining in the game, San Diego State took its first lead of the game thanks to Wayne McKinney III’s triple in the corner. However, SJSU responded by regaining the lead with a three-pointer themselves.

This was a much better second half to watch.

After a huge offensive rebound from Miles Heide, he scored to give his team the lead again. Boyd then converted on a circus layup to provide SDSU with a three-point lead.

Crunch-time approached. SDSU was back in the game, but they needed to finish strong put the Spartans away for good.

Latrell Davis and Donovan Yap Jr. stepped up in a big way for the Spartans. They combined to score 32 points as just under eight minutes remained. Every point mattered.

With around four minutes left, Miles Byrd scored his sixth point of the night on a tip-in lay-in after the missed shot from McKinney. SDSU led 59-57.

Attacking in transition to retake the lead
📺: @CBSSportsCBB pic.twitter.com/pO1nVDqChv

— San Diego State Men’s Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) February 12, 2025

Offensive rebounding proved to be critical late for the Aztecs. Byrd, Heide, Gwath, and Jared Coleman-Jones all grabbed key offensive boards, and the Aztecs capitalized on them. They ended the game with 20 second chance points.

Davis kept the Spartans in the game late with clutch triples. He hit his fifth in the game to keep it a one-possession game. After Byrd extended it to a four-point game, Coleman-Jones lost the ball after a defensive rebound, and the Spartans scored to make it a two-point game with 35 seconds left.

Byrd missed a deep three-pointer with under 10 seconds remaining, and McKinney was fouled on the rebound. He was at the line for a one-and-one and just barely made the first free throw. He followed with the second to make it a four-point game.

Somehow, the Spartans scored quickly to trim the Aztecs’ lead to two. Boyd hit 1-2 from the line to end the game.

The Aztecs survived and stole a win in San Jose.

Dutcher was also asked postgame about his team’s ability to come from behind.

“It’s easy on the players but hard on an old coach,” Dutcher said. “I’d like to be in a lead but we’ve had 18-0 runs, 20-0 runs, 17-0 runs this year so I like the grit of my team. And I know metrically they say ‘oh, what a terrible win.’ It’s the most beautiful win in the world tonight.”

The Aztecs improved to 16-6 on the season and 9-4 in conference play, which places them in a tie with CSU for third. SJSU loses yet another heartbreaker, falling to 12-14 on the year and 5-9 in MW.

The next game for the Aztecs is this Saturday at home against Boise State. The game is at 7:00 and can be seen on CBS Sports Network.

News & Stats

• Boyd led the Aztecs with 17 points on 5-13 shooting. He added four assists and three steals.
• Davis ended with 13 points, five rebounds, and two steals.
• The Aztecs had 10 steals and five blocks
• SDSU shot only 4-23 from beyond the arc
• The Aztecs improved from the line and shot 17-22
• Davis and Yap combined to score 40 points for the Spartans
• SJSU was 11-33 from deep
• Both teams shot 41% from the floor

Chris Spiering

Chris is a graduate of the University of San Diego. He is the former Sports Editor for the USDVista newspaper. Chris has covered the San Diego Loyal, and now covers San Diego State Men’s Basketball. He also contributes regularly about the Padres. Chris is an athlete and is a huge fan of San Diego sports.