Aztecs survive another scare against Wyoming with 72-69 win
SDSU Athletics
Cowboys gave SDSU another hard-earned victory as Aztecs improved to 14-27 all-time in Laramie, Wyoming.
The San Diego State Aztecs and Wyoming Cowboys met for the first contest of March. The March Madness certainly came into effect in this one, as the result was not a given until the final buzzer. The game saw 14 different lead changes and eight different times tied. Wyoming easily could have won this contest, but SDSU’s defense proved to be too much for the Pokes.
San Diego State improved to 20-7 on the season and 13-5 in conference play. With New Mexico and Colorado State both winning on Saturday night, Utah State dropped to third place. SDSU remains tied with Boise State for fourth place. Both the Aztecs and Broncos are just 0.5 games behind the Aggies for third place. That seeding is crucial to avoid playing one another in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Tournament in a few weeks.
Recap
Miles Byrd’s name was called right away as he attacked the rim to get the scoring started. Byrd had a huge night for the Aztecs. Dontaie Allen scored a season-high 18 points against the Aztecs in the first meeting and scored the first two points for the Cowboys on Saturday night.
Knowing the importance of starting fast and putting points on the board early, the Aztecs responded by doing just that. SDSU started the contest with a quick 9-4 run thanks to back-to-back buckets from Miles Heide. Heide slammed home a dunk on the fast break to give his team the momentum early.
HERE COMES @miles_heide
@CBSSportsCBB pic.twitter.com/fvyc8XjL9A
— San Diego State Men’s Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) March 2, 2025
Heide started in place of Magoon Gwath once again and is making the most of the opportunity.
At the 13:04 mark, Taj DeGourville was called for his second personal foul right after checking into the contest. Before he could even make an impact, the freshman had to take a seat again. Demarshay Johnson Jr. checked into the game as head coach Brian Dutcher was forced to extend his rotation.
Wyoming proceeded to go on a 15-8 run of their own to take their second lead of the game. Allen must love playing against the Aztecs, as he had 12 of Wyoming’s first 22 points on 5-8 shooting.
The game proved to be competitive, with a back-and-forth affair. Through 15 minutes, there were six lead changes and six different ties. The Cowboys play well at home, and they showed once again that they won’t let the Aztecs pick them apart.
The score was tied at 27 as Obi Agbim went to the line to give Wyoming another lead. SDSU’s defense defended him well once again as he started 1-8 from the field. Despite that, the Cowboys played well on both sides of the floor.
The one thing both teams did not perform well in during the first half was keeping their discipline in order. The fouls kept getting called often. Both teams were in the bonus with over four minutes to go in the half with 15 combined calls.
Wyoming dominated the glass with a quick 16-7 advantage and had seven offensive boards. The offensive boards killed the Aztecs. Wyoming ended the half with a 9-2 advantage in second-chance points.
SDSU trailed by three toward the end of the half, and Byrd trimmed it to a one-point game with a floater. On the other end, Heide blocked Cole Henry’s shot at the buzzer. It wasn’t much, but that four-point swing proved to be costly for the Cowboys, as they would end up losing by one possession.
Byrd ended the half with nine points to lead the Aztecs, and Allen led the Pokes with 12. The Scarlet & Black ended with just eight total rebounds, while Wyoming grabbed 22. In a mind-blowing comparison, SDSU somehow only trailed 34-33.
The scoring stayed hot for both sides to begin the second half. Things started to get spicy, also. BJ Davis, Nick Boyd, and Byrd scored eight quick points for the Aztecs, and they regained the lead for the first time in about 10 minutes. However, Agbim nailed his second triple of the game and was then called for a technical foul after he talked a little smack to the SDSU bench. Then, 31 seconds later, after Davis hit a three of his own, Davis was called for a technical foul. Dutcher was livid. On the possession after, Byrd was called for a technical foul for talking back to the referee. Believe me when I tell you that nobody has ever seen that before. Three threes in 38 seconds caused mayhem in Laramie.
Through all the drama, Wyoming led 47-46.
The Aztecs continued to struggle to rebound the ball. They had only 10 defensive rebounds and 13 total, with 12 minutes remaining in the contest. Wyoming had no trouble rebounding. They had a 30-13 advantage and 13 offensive boards. If it weren’t for their 12 turnovers, they would be handling the Aztecs.
SDSU went on a 10-4 run. Their defense stayed locked in and kept stealing possessions, with 10 steals to this point.
MILES BYRD
— San Diego State Men’s Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) March 2, 2025
After a Byrd step-back jumper, the Aztecs led 58-53 with 7:31 remaining. Just as they were early in the first half, both teams were in the bonus once again with over five and a half minutes to go.
The result of that benefited the Aztecs. Even though Heide went 1-3 from the line on two possessions, the Aztecs got four points out of it as Davis nailed a three-pointer after keeping possession on the missed attempt. SDSU led 66-60 with 1:26 remaining in the game.
The lead extended to eight after two free throws from Davis, and then Agbim made yet another triple to cut it down to five. SDSU had a very tough time closing out the Cowboys. Boyd proceeded to go 1-2 from the line, and Scottie Ebube made it a four-point game with a quick layup.
Just 16.3 seconds remained, and while the Aztecs led by four, this game was definitely not over. It was Wayne McKinney III’s turn to hit clutch free throws, and he only went 1-2. As you can imagine, Wyoming scored to make it a three-point game. Jared Coleman-Jones then had a chance to ice the game. He missed the first one and then proceeded to miss the second as well.
Luckily for San Diego State, Wyoming did not get a shot off before time expired, and the Aztecs survived with a three-point win against a gritty opponent.
Up next for the Aztecs is on Tuesday night against UNLV. They have a chance to get familiar with Thomas & Mack Center ahead of the Mountain West Tournament in a few weeks.
News & Stats
- BJ Davis had 18 points on 5-8 shooting and 4-7 from deep and had three steals
- Byrd scored 18 as well on 7-14 shooting and also had three assists and two steals
- Coleman-Jones had 12 and five rebounds
- Wyoming led the rebounding advantage 39-23
- SDSU forced Wyoming to 17 turnovers
- SDSU had 34 points in the paint
- Aztecs had an 11-2 steals advantage
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.