San Diego State didn’t exactly become the basketball team everyone expected at the start of the season, but the Aztecs did do something they have struggled to do lately.
They won.
After losing three of the last four and five of the previous seven dating to last season, they rediscovered their hard-hat roots and ground out a much needed 77-66 victory Wednesday night at Viejas Arena against a Utah Valley team that had won its last two games by 22 and 44.
They also discovered that their other freshman, Tae Simmons, can play, too.
Elzie Harrington started his second straight game, the earliest a true freshman has cracked the SDSU starting lineup in a decade. Simmons, an undersized power forward, was fighting for rotation minutes that figured to vanish with the return to health of Magoon Gwath, until he erupted for 15 points and seven rebounds in 15 minutes off the bench Wednesday.
It came on a night when Miles Byrd and Reese Dixon-Waters, who had both battled the flu this week, had no points through the first 33 minutes. And starting center Miles Heide took a hard fall in the first half and didn’t return. And backup Pharaoh Compton had two dunk attempts fly off the back rim. And Magoon Gwath, also recovering from the flu, on the bench during crunch time with Byrd.
A night when Utah Valley got a 3 in the first half on a lob that went in the basket and another 3 in the second half when one banked in.
A night when Aztecs coach Brian Dutcher twice challenged calls on the floor and won both.
The Aztecs (4-3) spent the week since their last game focusing on regaining their defensive mentality and mojo, then on Utah Valley’s first possession did this:
Got confused on assignments and left Noah Taitz wide open on the right wing for a 3. Swish.
The Wolverines’ next basket came when Isaac Davis was left alone under the basket for an uncontested layup.
Not exactly what Dutcher had in mind.
But all that practice grind finally began reaping dividends, and eight minutes later the Wolverines were still stuck on 10 points with shooting 3 of 15 with five turnovers.
At the other end, the Aztecs exploited their size advantage with seven of their first 11 points being the direct result of lobs. Then BJ Davis (18 points) subbed in and began draining 3s, and the Aztecs built a seemingly comfortable 33-20 with three minutes left in the first half.
Except it wasn’t.
Just as they did against Baylor, the offense and defense suddenly went AWOL, and 12-0 run by Utah Valley to close the half made it a one-point game.
Heide, suffering from a hip contusion, didn’t start the second half, with Gwath sliding to the 5 and Tae Simmons starting at the 4 – meaning both Aztecs true freshmen were on the floor.
Utah Valley momentarily went ahead 34-33 for the first time since the game’s opening minutes, but SDSU regained the lead … behind a guy averaging 3.5 points per game.
Simmons hit the second 3 of his young career, then scored in the lane and made a free throw after being hacked on a lob.
The Aztecs never trailed again, although a 12-point lead shrunk to four before a late surge secured the win. A pair of layups by Dixon-Waters in the closing minutes secured the win.
The Aztecs are now off for another week before hosting Lamar.