Arizona’s big second half propelled them to a win over the San Diego State Aztecs to end the 2025 Hall of Fame Series.

Mortgage Matchup Center – Phoenix, Arizona

The San Diego State Aztecs went to war on Saturday night against No. 1 Arizona. The Aztecs and Wildcats met for the finale of the 2025 Hall of Fame Series on the weekend, where many greats were introduced into the Hall of Fame.

The Aztecs started the game well and led for 15 minutes of the first half. Arizona, however, would run away with the game in the second half. The No. 1 team in the country could only be contained for so long.

“Rebounding was the key to the game, obviously,” head coach Brian Dutcher said postgame. “Our initial defense was good in the first half. When we did get stops, we rebounded the ball. In the second half, they got 20 offensive rebounds, and we got as many stops, but they got more second-chance opportunities.”

“Free throws were even in the first half,” Dutcher continued. “In the second half, we didn’t get to the line. We could’ve been here a month and not gotten to the bonus in the second half. We have to find a way to get the refs to call more fouls. We competed for a half, and in the second half, they wore us out with their physicality and rebounding.”

Miles Byrd was aggressive early. He got fouled on a drive and hit the first points of the game from the line. Miles Heide scored in the paint for the first field goal of the night. Arizona quickly got on track and took a 6-4 lead after Koa Peat’s 4th point of the night.

SDSU’s defense showed up early as well. They forced two quick turnovers by the Wildcats and even blocked a shot thanks to Pharaoh Compton’s length off the bench. The offense did not come easily for the Wildcats early on. U of A was shooting 29% from the field after eight minutes had gone off the clock.

The bank was open on Saturday night. Jeremiah Oden hit a bank-three to take an 11-8 lead. Oden would only play three minutes on Saturday night, but he contributed.

From deep! @JeremiahOden #GoAztecs pic.twitter.com/tQF3mXeU8o

— San Diego State Men’s Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) December 21, 2025

San Diego State could not have asked for a better start. Their defense allowed for transition offense, scoring 10 first-half points off those turnovers. SDSU led 15-11. Great things happen when BJ Davis is involved. He stole a pass and got fouled on a three-point attempt. He went 2-3 from the line to take a 17-11 lead with just over 10 minutes to go in the first half.

Arizona ended SDSU’s 6-0 run with a floater in the paint from Ivan Kharchenkov. Then, Brayden Burries converted a shot plus the foul to cut their deficit to three.

Both teams went back and forth between scoring and playing good defense. The Aztecs managed to keep their lead for the majority of the first half (15 minutes). Arizona committed its 9th turnover of the first half to allow SDSU a chance to capitalize by taking a two-possession lead, however, not before a media timeout and a roar of boo’s from the “home” crowd.

Dixon-Waters hit a fadeaway jumper to take a 5-point lead. Tae Simmons then followed with a bucket in the paint to take a 27-20 lead.

Then, momentum flipped. Arizona used an 8-0 run to take a 28-27 lead right before the half. Brian Dutcher was called for a technical foul after Magoon Gwath was called for a foul after getting blocked at the rim.

“I wasn’t happy with the officiating,” Dutcher said about the tech. “Usually, to get one, you have to swear, or you have to use your arms and antics to show them up. I feel like I didn’t do a whole lot of any of that. So I just wanted him to tell me why he T’d me up, and he wouldn’t even tell me that.”

Arizona would take that 1-point lead to the locker room. San Diego State shot just 28% from the field in the first half, but it was the defense that kept them in the game. San Diego State played a strong first half, only trailing the No. 1 team in the country by one basket. U of A shot 36% from the field but committed 10 turnovers.

Harrington hit a layup on the fastbreak to regain the advantage, 29-28, to begin the second half. That would be the last time SDSU owned a lead in this game.

The Aztecs’ offense continued to struggle. They could not hit a shot from deep and did not have many comfortable shots to start the second half. SDSU was shooting 26% from the field to this point, but still kept the deficit manageable.

Compton ended a 1-11 drought with a layup to cut the deficit to four. Arizona seemed to have all the momentum in the second half. They were hitting tough shots and making it difficult for SDSU to get into any kind of rhythm.

After playing an impressive first half, the Aztecs did not play well in the second half. They scored only 12 points in 12 minutes and let this game slip from their hands. The defense also stopped forcing turnovers as the Wildcats played a much smoother second half without many mistakes.

“I definitely feel like the rebounding margin was a part of it as well as our intensity on defense.” Dixon-Waters said postgame. “I can speak for myself. In the first half, I was hitting the gaps and being active and talking, and I feel like there was a drop-off in my energy in the second half. I definitely take that on the chin.”

“Obviously, I feel like I am in a slump right now with my shooting. But I feel confident in my shots falling.”

Tobe Awaka dominated on the glass in the second half. He had six offensive boards and slammed home a couple of dunks after grabbing the board. Arizona contains one of the best rebounders in the country.

Arizona used its dominant rebounding and elite defense to pull away and win this game by 23 points. SDSU had a real opportunity to make some noise against this team, but could not play a full 40 minutes.

The Aztecs will have to quickly flush this loss as they head back to San Diego and take on Division III Whittier College on Monday night at Viejas Arena.

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.