Strong second half leads SDSU to 23-point victory over New Mexico
Credit: CBS Sports
Viejas Arena- San Diego, California
The San Diego State Aztecs survived a strong start from New Mexico and improved to 25-0 on the season with an 82-59 victory.
San Diego State outscored New Mexico 47-26 in the second half. A combination of scoring and good defense propelled the Aztecs to a strong second-half performance.
It took a while for both offenses to get going in the game. At the ten minute mark, both teams found their rhythm offensively.
Although the scoring heated up, turnovers were a theme in the first half for both teams. The Aztecs turned the ball over eight times in the first while the Lobos recorded 10 turnovers.
Yanni Wetzell, with 14 points, did the majority of the scoring for San Diego State in the first half.
Nonetheless, the San Diego State Aztecs led 35-33 at the half.
SDSU jumped out to a quick start in the second half by going on a 9-2 run. It looked like the Aztecs showed more energy coming out of the locker room. After a banked 3-pointer from New Mexico, San Diego State went on another 9-2 run that stretched the lead to 13 points.
The Aztecs never took their foot off of the accelerator, as the score never got back to within single digits. With another 11-2 run, SDSU put the game out of reach to the joy of the home crowd.
MATT MITCHELL. MY GOODNESS. @Aztec_MBB | #GoAztecs pic.twitter.com/tqbWMvnLFG
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) February 12, 2020
A troublesome season for New Mexico continued in San Diego on Tuesday night. Corey Manigault received two technicals, which is an automatic ejection.
Team scoring is the formula for success for the San Diego State Aztecs. This was once again put on display, with four players scoring more than 10 points. Matt Mitchell led the way with 22 points, but Yanni Wetzell trailed him closely with 20 points.
-Vante Hendrix led the New Mexico Lobos in points, 18, despite not starting. No other Lobos reached double-figures in scoring.
-San Diego State went 9-for-27 from 3-point land and 44.3 percent from the field. The Aztecs ended the game with 15 turnovers.
-New Mexico went 6-for-27 from 3-point land and 35.5 percent from the field. The Aztecs finished the game with 17 turnovers.
-The San Diego State Aztecs’ next game is Sunday at Boise State. With only five more regular-season games remaining, an undefeated regular season seems more and more reachable.
Dominic is a graduate of Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, with a bachelor’s degree in Sports Journalism. He also is the producer and co-host of the “Padres EVT Podcast.”