Aztecs score 48 second-half points to take down Air Force to begin 1-0 in Mountain West Conference play

Viejas Arena – San Diego State

The San Diego State Aztecs and Air Force Falcons met for the opening contest in what will be the final Mountain West slate before switching conferences to the Pac-12. San Diego State needed a big win on its home court before traveling to Phoenix to take on No. 1 Arizona for the Hall of Fame Classic.

Joe Scott and his Air Force squad showed up in Southern California after scoring only 38 points here last season. His team scored 30 in the first half and 58 overall.

“I hate playing Air Force, Dutcher said postgame. “I don’t sleep for a week trying to prep for all their stuff. Joe Scott is a really good coach; he has a really young team. Most games they played this year, they are in the game. You look up, and it’s close with 4-5 minutes to go. They haven’t been able to close them out cause they are young. The fact that we were only up three at the half was not a surprise. We know how good they are and how hard they are to play.”

The Aztecs played with an embarrassing effort in the first half on Wednesday night.

SDSU started the game shooting 2-11 from the floor, but had a 5-0 advantage in the first minute of the game. Air Force began the game 4-11 and then led 10-7 early in the first half. SDSU had trouble attacking the different defenses that Air Force was running. The Aztecs were hesitant with their decision-making, and it led to a rough start to the game. After 9.5 minutes, Air Force still led 15-14.

Eli Robinson scored 10 of the first 15 points for the Falcons as he started 4-4 from the field. Miles Heide had four quick points for the Aztecs. Heide was one of the few bright spots in the first half.

SDSU was tired of the Falcons’ good start. The Aztecs quickly went on an 11-0 run as Gwath scored his 5th point of the night with a floater to take a 16-15 lead. Then, Taj DeGourville assisted on a triple to Sean Newman Jr. to take a 4-point lead, followed by a dunk from Pharaoh Compton to put the fans at Viejas Arena on their feet.

SDSU had a 9-point lead with just over seven minutes to go in the first half; however, the large lead did not last. The Falcons trimmed it down to three by the break. SDSU shot only 39% from the field in the first 20 minutes, and the Falcons shot 41% and were 4-4 from the free-throw line.

San Diego State missed many shots at the rim and committed five turnovers in the first half. They played sloppily all around, and nobody was able to get into any rhythm outside of Heide. The only unit to play well was the bench unit, scoring 15 of the first 33 points.

Joe Scott and his team belonged in this game because the Aztecs let them remain in it.

A big second half loomed.

Heide began the second half with a deep ball after Reese Dixon-Waters missed a few triples to start the half. Heide then attempted another on the next trip down but missed. SDSU started the second half with a 12-3 run to extend the lead to 11. The Aztecs’ frontcourt was all over the place in a good way, grabbing rebounds, defending the high post, and scoring buckets. Dutcher said postgame that the frontcourt defended very well in this game.

“We worked hard not to let it in the post,” Dutcher said postgame about how well Heide was playing on both ends. “I don’t think Air Force had a post pass this game, which is their security blanket; they want to throw it into the five-man. You could count on one hand how many times they were able to throw it in the post. We did a good job between Pharaoh and Heide of not letting it in there. And that was a big part of the game plan.”

After about 10-ish minutes, the lead reached 13 as the offense started to look more in sync.

“I think we just caught rhythm of the game,” BJ Davis said postgame about the tail of two halves. “Kinda settled in, it was a close game at the half. We knew if we just stuck in there and kept making base hits, then eventually they would give in.”

Justin Bieber’s drummer boy played during a media timeout, and fans seemed to be in a much better mood with the Christmas vibe.

Davis went on a tear to start the second half. His point total reached 16 as he was in a groove offensively. He missed a rare free throw after starting the season scorching hot from the charity stripe.

The BJ Davis Show!

📺 @CBSSportsCBB pic.twitter.com/J8C0fYIGpD

— San Diego State Men’s Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) December 18, 2025

“This has been the role I have been playing this year,” Davis said about his performance. “Just embraced it, you know. Just trying to provide that spark of energy. I come in and guard, get my teammates involved, and create my own shot as well.”

The Aztecs’ lead reached north of 20 points, and they began to control the game. It took about 30 game minutes for that to kick into effect. The defense remained consistent as the Falcons were scoring at the same pace as they did in the first half. The good news, however, is that the shots were falling for the Scarlet & Black as they led 70-53 with under four minutes remaining in the game.

SDSU was shooting over 61% in the second half to this point while going 6-11 from beyond the arc. SDSU had already doubled its three-point makes from the first half with six. Sohopmore Taj DeGourville started to come alive with three made triples on 3-3 shooting to hopefully end a rough skid for the Las Vegas native.

The Aztecs pulled away and won by 23 points. Davis was the player of the game as he helped propel his team to a monster second half.

Up next for the Aztecs will be this Saturday in Phoenix as they take on No. 1 Arizona at 7:30 PT.

Stats & News

• SDSU shot 68% in the second half, ended 50.8% from the field.
• SDSU controlled the boards 35-26
• Compton, Heide, and Gwath all scored in double figures
• Air Force committed 15 turnovers as the Aztecs had 8 steals
• The bench unit scored 47 points

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.