SDSU avoids an upset scare with a four-point win over the Lobos thanks to a monster performance by Miles Byrd

Steve Fisher Court – Viejas Arena – San Diego State University

The San Diego State Aztecs and New Mexico Lobos met at Viejas Arena for one of the biggest games of the season, and the 99th overall meeting between the two rivals.

The Aztecs entered the contest in sole possession of first place in the Mountain West and needed a win to keep it that way. After a close win, the Aztecs improved to 7-0 in conference play and are alone in first place after No. 23 Utah State fell on the road at Grand Canyon.

“A gutty win, it was not perfect,” head coach Brian Dutcher said postgame. “I told them before the game that we could not have double-digit turnovers. We won the game with 16 turnovers because New Mexico had 17. Both teams played hard and competed at a high level. Some decisions from both teams weren’t what a coach would want, but both teams were able to overcome that and continued to compete until the end of the game.”

Magoon Gwath injured himself setting a screen 2:25 minutes into the game. He immediately tapped his head, asking to be taken out. Gwath walked straight to the locker room after the dead ball. He returned to the bench shortly after.

Miles Byrd and the Aztecs started off playing elite on both sides of the floor. Byrd converted a coast-to-coast layup after he blocked a shot. After that, he hit a mid-range pull-up. The game was tied at 10 after the first five minutes.

Here comes @_mbyrd21!!

📺 @CBSSportsCBB pic.twitter.com/V2Rjcg7JdS

— San Diego State Men’s Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) January 18, 2026

Carlsbad native Jake Hall scored nine of New Mexico’s first 14 points. He converted a four-point play early on after the foul from Pharaoh Compton. Hall would not score another bucket in the first half and ended with 15 on the night.

The Aztecs started the game going only 4-8 from the charity stripe; however, the good news is that they were getting to the line early. BJ Davis checked into the game and immediately made an impact by hitting a needed shot plus the foul. Davis made the 5th free throw of the game for SDSU with 12:22 left in the first half. SDSU trailed 19-16. Taj DeGourville then tied the game with a triple.

Byrd was doing it all for the Aztecs in the first half. The ball found him on rebounds, and Byrd initiated the offense. He missed one of the Aztecs’ five free throws to this point, but Dixon-Waters grabbed the board on the miss and hit two shots from the line himself. Byrd then stole the ball seconds later for his second of the game and got fouled on a dunk attempt. After the media timeout, he made both. SDSU was 9-14 from the line at this point in the game. SDSU led 30-28 with just under eight minutes to go in the half.

Free-throw shooting was a big part of the Aztecs’ game plan on Saturday night. SDSU ended 22-30.

With five minutes to go in the first half, Tajavis Miller scratched Byrd for a common foul. The officials went to look at a potential flagrant, but the call remained the same. Fans at Viejas Arena were not happy. “Refs, you suck” chants arrived and did not go away for some time.

New Mexico ended SDSU’s 12-0 run, but the Aztecs still maintained control. The lead reached 11 with just over a minute remaining in the first half, and SDSU was on pace for over 90 points.

SDSU ended the half as well as you could. The lead reached 13, and the defense stepped up big time toward the end of the half. They held the Lobos to just 34% shooting in the first half. Dutcher’s team ended the half 16-22 from the line, making attacking the basket and drawing fouls a focal point of the game plan. DeGourville played very well in the first 20 minutes, scoring nine points, drilling two huge three-pointers for the Aztecs. Byrd scored 10 in the half, while RDW had eight. Gwath played only five minutes in the first half, but the good news is that he did return from his injury scare.

Gwath started the second half with the starting unit. However, New Mexico quickly went on a 10-0 run in just over a minute. SDSU’s 13-point advantage was just five with 17 minutes remaining in the game. Gwath only played 10 minutes in this game as foul trouble and two turnovers did not allow him to settle down. The Aztecs played well enough without him being a factor.

Byrd did everything in his power to keep the momentum on his team’s side. His point total reached 19 points as he was making plays everywhere. The Lobos continued to do a great job of responding in the second half. They hit four triples in five attempts. Their FG% reached 43% compared to just 34% in the first half, for a 61% in the second half. SDSU led 61-57 with just over 13 minutes to go.

Lobos’ Tomislav Buljan started dominating the glass. He reached nine boards with four offensive rebounds as his play was huge for his team to remain in the game. The former professional from Croatia was a force in the paint. Jake Hall had a chance to tie the game after his bucket plus the foul, but Hall missed the tying free throw. Elzie Harrington scored on the other end to go back up three points.

Crunch time arrived in San Diego. It was anyone’s game with just under eight minutes to go. The Lobos would not go away, but SDSU’s strong defense allowed them to keep a small lead.

With four minutes to go, the Lobos tied the game with a corner triple, their 12th of the night. Luke Haupt was left wide open, and the fans in the arena went silent after seeing their team blow another double-digit lead.

Compton converted on the other end, plus the foul, to take a 2-point lead before the media timeout. Compton returned to the line but missed the free shot.

The final few minutes were back and forth. It seemed as if the Lobos would escape Viejas with a win, but clutch defense from Byrd and Heide allowed the Aztecs to win the game late.

“That’s the Mountain West,” Byrd said postgame. “You live for these types of games and these types of atmospheres. This was definitely one of the games you had circled on the calendar. I am just happy we were able to come in here and get a win.”

BJ Davis nailed the go-ahead shot with under 10 seconds remaining in the game. Then, Dixon-Waters sealed it with two free throws to win by four points. After a bad turnover from Davis with under a minute to go, he responded when it mattered the most. Davis loves the ball in his hands when the game is on the line. He has proven it many times this season.

BJ Davis wins it for the Aztecs!! What an incredible game with an even better finish

Final score: 83-79

– Miles Byrd had a huge night with 21 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 blocks, 3 steals
– RDW, Compton, and DeGourville all scored in double figures
– Davis ended with 9… pic.twitter.com/7zBn03YBCp

— Chris Spiering (@Clutch__Chris) January 18, 2026

“BJ threw a cross-court pass away at a real critical time in the game and then came down and made a basket,” Dutcher said. “You have to have a next-play mentality; you have to put mistakes out of your mind. If you dwell on them, you won’t be ready to make the play when it is in your hands at the end.”

The Aztecs must flush this win quickly because another brutal stretch is coming. SDSU heads to Phoenix again for a battle against Grand Canyon on Wednesday. Then, they travel to Las Vegas for a matchup against UNLV one week from today.

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.