Nick Boyd scored 17 points, all in the second half, to help route the Golden Bears in the San Jose Tip-Off.

The San Diego State Aztecs and Cal Berkeley Golden Bears met in Northern California on Saturday night.

Brian Dutcher and his squad had a chaotic Saturday as they had a couple of their flights canceled, and they had to fly out of San Bernardino to reach San Jose. Nonetheless, the Aztecs made it to the SAP Center on time.

The Aztecs did not have the benefit of a pregame shoot-around. However, that did not matter. SDSU dominated the majority of the game, especially the second half. The beginning of the game showed signs that Cal could perform well.

Points were at a premium to begin the showcase.

The Aztecs struggled to connect on a handful of shots as Miles Byrd and Nick Boyd missed their first six shots combined. Jared Coleman-Jones hit the first shot of the game fort SDSU on a put-back layup after the missed attempt from Boyd.

At the first TV timeout, Cal led 4-2.

Cal then used an 8-0 run to take a 10-2 lead. However, the Aztecs responded fast. SDSU would take their first lead of the game, 12-11, thanks to a Pharaoh Compton layup on the fast-break. They would not lose the lead for the remainder of the game. SDSU then extended their lead to seven after a couple of made free throws from Byrd.

Despite Cal’s early success, SDSU held them to 3-24 from the field to begin the game. The offense started slow for the Aztecs, but the defense showed up right away. Freshman Jeremiah Wilkinson ended the Aztecs’ run with a layup in transition. SDSU led 18-14.

The Aztecs kept control. With around 40 seconds remaining in the first half, Byrd nailed the first triple of the game for both teams.

Nothing but the bottom of the net for @_mbyrd21!
📺: @accnetwork pic.twitter.com/ePUSapZ1i4

— San Diego State Men’s Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) December 22, 2024

They started the game 0-22, and that was the only three-pointer hit in the half.

SDSU led 25-16 at the break.

The Golden Bears scored 11 points quickly but could only register five points in the final 11:14. The Aztecs scored 19 in that span, led by Byrd with nine points. He contributed with four rebounds, one assist, and two blocks.

Nick Boyd finished 0-6 from the floor in the period. His scoring comes at an iffy rate at just 38.4% from the field entering the game. He also committed two turnovers in a rough first half. On a positive note that benefited the Aztecs, Boyd did capture three steals.

The Aztecs started the second half very strong, led by Boyd from beyond the arc. They extended their lead to 17 after a triple from the senior guard. He scored a quick 12 points, all from deep, to begin the second half.

It’s raining 3⃣s in San Jose for @NicholaswBoyd!
📺: @accnetwork pic.twitter.com/or9LStG12C

— San Diego State Men’s Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) December 22, 2024

After not scoring in the first half, Boyd felt he needed to change that quickly.

The lead then reached 19. Byrd hit his second three-pointer, and the Aztecs led 46-27. They ran away with this game as the Golden Bears had zero answer to the physical Aztecs’ defense.

Through 30 minutes, the Aztecs held the Golden Bears to 21.4% from the floor. 11 of the 31 points came from the free-throw line.

Things did not get any easier for Cal as they continued to struggle to connect. SDSU’s defense was too tough to crack. The Aztecs on the other side of the court would hit eight second-half threes to extend the lead to as large as 29.

Dutcher’s game plan to shut down Andrej Stojakovic worked. He scored just 10 points on 2-12 shooting and committed two turnovers. Stojakovic entered the game as the 23rd scorer in the country at 19.9 per game. He and Wilkerson were the only two players to reach double digits in scoring for Cal.

The Aztecs completed the non-conference strong with an 7-2 record. They are now 8-2 on the season, with one conference win against Fresno State.

The next Aztec game will be back at Viejas Arena as they host Utah State on December 28.

News & Stats

• Boyd’s 17 points all came in the second half. He ended with four steals.
• SDSU had 26 second-chance points and 25 points off turnovers.
• BJ Davis and Byrd both ended with 12 points. Wayne McKinney III had 10 points.
• Magoon Gwath ended with six points, ten rebounds, and three blocks.
• SDSU had the rebound advantage 49-39 and had 21 offensive boards

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.