Las Vegas- Nevada

In the first game of the Players Era Festival, the SDSU Aztecs demolished the No.21-ranked Creighton Blue Jays, 71-53.

SDSU fell behind early in the game, going down 8-4 in the opening minutes. The Aztecs rallied on a 21-8 run, leading to a 32-28 half-time lead.

It was a wonderful effort from the Aztecs, who played team basketball to regain their composure. Creighton played the game without their best player, Steven Ashworth, who missed the game with an ankle injury. The loss was huge for the Blue Jays, who missed his shooting ability and passing skill.

The San Diego State defense was its usual self, as the team recorded eight steals and scored 13 points off turnovers. Creighton was pressed all game and struggled to get off productive shots. The No. 21 Blue Jays finished 21-of-62 (33.8%) from the floor. Creighton was overworked by the Aztecs in the game.

For SDSU, the team passed the ball successfully and earned excellent looks at the basket. The offense was not an issue, as the Aztecs were 30-of-62 from the floor (48.3%) and hit eight of their 17 attempts (47%) from the three-point mark.

The Aztec shooting was on par in this game, and this is a great sign for SDSU moving forward. “I love my team, but I don’t know what I am going to get in November. It’s a challenging schedule,” Coach Dutcher said after the game. The SDSU coach knows this is a young squad, and their future is cloudy. “So I know this team is going to be good. It was good tonight. Now, can it be good tomorrow? That’s the question.”

Magoon Gwath again was impressive on the boards and with his offensive game. “He’s a seven-foot freshman learning to play. He’s picking and choosing his moments,” Dutcher said about his big man.

Magoon Gwath finishes the first half strong 💪@Aztec_MBB leads by 4 at the break! pic.twitter.com/uYLhXqUVZ9

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) November 26, 2024

The bench also contributed to the win as Pharaoh Compton scored six, and the SDSU team outscored Creighton 18-7 with its reserves.

Compton is from Vegas and put on a show for his hometown crowd.

Pharaoh Compton puts the exclamation point on a dominant @Aztec_MBB performance ❗️ pic.twitter.com/2S3UAMZqs6

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) November 26, 2024

Sophomore guard BJ Davis led the Aztecs with 18 points and nine rebounds in the game. Miles Byrd put up 16 points in the win. Davis is thriving with more playing time and is showing a lot of strengths. ” I just seen, you know, where I had advantages in certain places, and  I took them,” David said after the game. The guard attacked the basket on multiple occasions and pressed the ball downcourt.

SDSU faces Oregon at 1 pm Wednesday, with a chance to advance to the championship game on Saturday.

James Clark

James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.