Aztecs survive late drama with 63-61 win over Wyoming

Credit: Don De Mars/ EVT Spprts

SDSU almost blows an 11-point lead in under a minute to win by just two points
Steve Fisher Court – Viejas Arena
The San Diego State Aztecs and Wyoming Cowboys met for the first conference game of February. With NBA star Jimmy Butler in attendance, SDSU trailed for a majority of the second half but found a way to escape with a win. The Aztecs improve to 15-5 and 8-3 in the Mountain West. They remain in 4th place with a chance to improve one slot next week against Colorado State.
Welcome to @ViejasArena, @JimmyButler! #GoAztecs pic.twitter.com/H2iDLzVSbh
ā San Diego State Men’s Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) February 2, 2025
“If patience is a virtue, then I’m the most virtuous man in the country,” head coach Brian Dutcher chuckled postgame. “I had to be patient today again. Waited for a 20-0 run. We had an 18-0 run against San Jose. We didn’t close the way we wanted to close. (Boyd) got a technical foul. They warned him, and I told him that can’t happen again.”
Dutcher continued on with his statement.
“We made enough plays to win the game when it was in doubt. Proud of our effort and proud of our kids.”
Nick Boyd converted on the three-point shot on the fast break for SDSU’s first points of the contest. The fast break was started because of the BJ Davis blocked shot on Obi Agbim’s floater. SDSU had their first lead, 3-2.
Miles Byrd’s first points of the game came from a step-back mid-range jumper. He then had a sweet assist to Miles Heide for a dunk at the end of the shot clock. SDSU led 7-5.
Taj DeGourville really loves to assist on alley-oops. He sent one up for Byrd and smashed it in to regain the lead.
LOOK OUT
šŗ @CBSSportsCBB pic.twitter.com/Uj0RvEaaSA
ā San Diego State Men’s Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) February 2, 2025
The Aztecs played very well on the defensive end to begin. They held Wyoming’s top player, Obi Agbim, scoreless until eight minutes left in the first half. SDSU led 20-14, with Heide leading the way with five points, already surpassing his per-game total. Pharaoh Compton established his presence early with two blocks and Byrd had four points and two assists.
Wyoming used a quick 7-0 to regain the lead 21-20. Jordan Nesbitt shined with seven early points. Nesbitt was unable to really capitalize on his scoring as he gained four quick fouls. He only played 22 minutes.

The contest went back and forth to finish the first half. Wyoming’s shots started to fall in at a higher rate.
Gwath ended a short scoring drought for SDSU with his sixth point of the night, giving his team the lead right before the half ended. On the next possession, after a set piece aiming for a Davis triple, Byrd got fouled on the rebound attempt. He made both free throws with 3.7 seconds left in the half to give SDSU a 28-25 lead at the break.
Byrd and Gwath led with six points each, and Heide and DeGourville had five. Gwath added five rebounds and two blocks. SDSU had five blocks in the first half.
A competitive second half loomed.
Gwath started the second period by matching Wyoming’s triple to begin. He was up to nine points. On the next defensive possession, Gwath blocked his 3rd shot of the night. On the other end of the floor, Boyd nailed his second three-pointer of the game to give his team a 6-point lead, their largest of the game so far.
The Aztecs did a great job of forcing Wyoming to commit fouls. The Cowboys committed their 7th of the half in about six minutes. SDSU was going to be at the line the rest of the way.
The Cowboys didn’t go away, however, as they re-gained the lead, 35-34 with 13 and a half minutes remaining. Then, they had their biggest lead of the game at three after a dunk from Scottie Ebube.
SDSU went on a scoring drought of over four minutes until DeGourville ended it at the charity stripe.
Wyoming kept bringing pressure. The Aztecs could not hit any shots with consistency. The Cowboys extended their lead to six as SDSU’s field goal percentage fell to a miserable 33%. Something needed to change quickly, or else the Aztecs would find themselves in a deep hole.
After trailing by nine, the Aztecs trimmed it back to seven and then had possession. Boyd called a timeout, saving possession. After the timeout, Gwath got fouled by Matija Belic for his 5th of the game. Gwath nailed both from the line to cut the deficit to five. After a rare miss from the Pokes, Byrd got fouled on a three-point attempt. He made all three, and we had a ball game again.
Viejas Arena was rockin’.
Free throws kept the Aztecs in the contest. Gwath converted 1-2 from the line after getting fouled on the rebounded attempt. SDSU was 16-20 from the line. A huge 10-0 run put them back in the contest, mostly from free points. Byrd grabbed the missed free throw and made the layup, giving his team a 51-50 lead.
GET LOUD, @ViejasArena!!!! pic.twitter.com/va8YrnRpeZ
ā San Diego State Men’s Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) February 2, 2025
The final moments of the game turned chaotic. Boyd had a technical foul called on him, and he was ejected. Wyoming proceeded to make eight, yes, eight free throws in fewer than five game seconds. The Aztecs thought they would run away with the game, going on a 9-0 run to lead by as much as 11. However, they fouled twice on three-point attempts, and Wyoming came right back, bringing the Aztecs lead to just a solo one point.
Just 0.8 seconds remained after the Pokes hit a late triple. Kimo Ferrari, believe it or not, would ice the game, making the first free throw and then missing the second on purpose to end the game.
The Aztecs were undisciplined late in the game, almost costing them. They won by just two points against a Quad 4 opponent.

SDSU won another close game against a team they should have beaten by a lot. Dutcher shared his thoughts about dropping in the NET rankings after three straight wins.
“I don’t care about that,” he said. “They are three wins, so I will take all three of them. The only thing I am responsible for is my team’s performance and if we are playing good basketball and winning games, then I love it.”
The Aztecs will take a week off and play Colorado State on the road next Saturday night. The game is at 7:00 p.m. and can be seen on CBS Sports Network as well as the Mountain West Network.
News & Stats
- Jared Coleman-Jones (shoulder – day-to-day) missed his second consecutive game. Heide started in his place.
- Coach Dutcher won his 100th career conference game, 4th most in conference history
- Gwath led with 14 points, 11 boards, 4 blocks
- Boyd had 13 with 1 assist and 1 board
- Byrd ended with 11 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists
- Heide had a game-high +20 and ended with 9 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal
- DeGourville finished with 10 points, 4 boards, 2 assists
- SDSU had 24 points in the paint, 14 off turnovers, 11 bench points, and 9 second chance points
- SDSU is now 33-11 against Wyoming all-time
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.