Mitchell leads Aztecs to second-half comeback over Utah State
Aztecs
Viejas Arena- San Diego, California
On the night that San Diego State honored the original Riverside kid Kawhi Leonard, Matt Mitchell, also from Riverside, led the Aztecs to an 80-68 comeback victory.
A packed house was on hand to pay their respect to Leonard as the Aztecs officially retired his jersey and made it the first to grace the Viejas rafters. The Los Angeles Clippers were on hand to support Leonard, but they caught a great come from behind performance by the undefeated Aztecs.
In the first half, Utah State weathered an early Aztec run, which put them behind the home team by eight points.
From there, the Aggies got hot from beyond the arc and put themselves in front by double-digits as the half continued.
San Diego State tried to keep it close, but a Sam Merrill three at the end of the half gave the Aggies an eight-point lead. Even though the Aztecs shot 50% in the first half, the three-point barrage and a 59% field goal percentage by Utah State had them down 39-31.
The second half started with the Aggies seemingly in control of the game.
However, with the Aztecs down eight, Mitchell came down on three possessions and scored nine points to put the Aztecs in the lead. His performance got the crowd into the game and rattled Utah State. The San Diego State players began to ride the energy of the crowd and pushed the lead behind critical three-point shooting and stifling defense. In the end, the Aztecs shooting was too much for Utah State, and San Diego State moved to 23-0 behind an 80-66 win.
Largest lead for either team tonight.#GoAztecs pic.twitter.com/XCLoEzvfEL
— Aztec M. Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) February 2, 2020
Mitchell led the way for San Diego State with a season-high 28 points. KJ Feagin had 15 points and five rebounds. Malachi Flynn had 15 points, six rebounds, and seven assists. Yanni Wetzell recorded a double-double with 11 points and ten rebounds.
Merrill finished with a team-high 16 points and 12 assists for Utah State. Brock Miller scored 15 points, while Justin Bean recorded 13 points.
The Aztecs now have a bye before heading to Air Force next weekend.
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.