Aztecs survive in UNLV, now a school-record 21-0 on season
Credit: SDSU men's basketball
Thomas & Mack Center- Las Vegas, Nevada-
Every time the Aztecs take the floor, they have a giant bullseye on their back.
There is nothing an opponent wants more than to beat the Aztecs. Especially on their home court. The next team that was looking to hand the Aztecs’ first loss of the season was the UNLV Rebels.
The Rebels were extra charged as the Aztecs were going for a school-record 21st straight win, an achievement UNLV surely did not want them to achieve on their home court.
The game was a battle from the start, as the Rebels could not hit a 3-pointer in the first half. San Diego State shot almost identical to UNLV in the first half but entered the locker room with a six-point lead after guard Trey Pulliam corralled an offensive rebound and hit a floater to push the lead from four at the buzzer.
In the second half, the Rebels came out better from beyond the arc and took, what turned out to be, their final lead of the game with 11:50 left, 45-43. From there, San Diego State’s defense turned their water off, holding UNLV scoreless for nearly five minutes. At that point in the game, the score was 50-45.
Bryce Hamilton led all scorers with 29 points and ten rebounds for the Runnin’ Rebels. Marvin Coleman finished with 11 points and five rebounds before fouling out late in the game for UNLV.
San Diego State was led by Malachi Flynn, who had 21 points. However, the talk of the game was backup point guard Trey Pulliam, who recorded a career-high 18 points on 6-6 shooting (2-for-2 from 3-point range). Jordan Schakel also scored in double-figures, finishing with 11 points.
Aztecs move to 21-0. pic.twitter.com/Jj93sHfcWQ
— Aztec M. Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) January 26, 2020
This Aztecs team now holds the record for the best start in program history at 21-0.
Coach Brian Dutcher and team will look to extend that streak to 22 on Wednesday at “The Pit” against the New Mexico Lobos.
I am a big Aztec fan and have been covering the men’s basketball program for the last three years. A San Diego State alum, my passion for SDSU basketball grew from watching the the basketball team play while I was at school. I look forward to bringing Aztec news here to East Village Times.