Things to watch: San Diego State Men’s Basketball Fans Roll In More Tantalizing News to Cheer About
SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State men’s basketball team kicked off their 2024-25 season on Wednesday night on Steve Fisher Court at Viejas Arena with a commanding 80-39 win over Cal State San Marcos.
Three Aztecs scored in double figures, led by Nick Boyd, who contributed a game-high 18 points, shooting 7-of-8 from the field and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. He also added three rebounds and three assists. Miles Byrd scored 12 points and made a significant defensive impact with four steals and a block. Pharaoh Compton rounded out the trio with 10 points, hitting 5-of-6 attempts.
Wayne McKinney III and BJ Davis each chipped in nine points, while Magoon Gwath posted seven points along with four rebounds and four blocks.
The Aztecs started strong, going on an 11-0 run fueled by two steals and two blocks before the first media timeout. Boyd scored the first points with a three-pointer from the wing, while Cal State San Marcos struggled to score, failing to hit the basket for nearly six minutes.
San Diego State then widened the gap with a 17-2 scoring run, extending their lead to 23 points with just over five minutes left in the first half. At halftime, a tip-in layup by Boyd brought the score to 46-19. Seven Aztecs contributed to the scoring, with Boyd leading with 13 points. The team shot 18-of-37 (48.6%) from the field and 6-of-19 (31.6%) from three-point range. On defense, San Diego State forced 15 turnovers, including eight steals and four blocks, limiting the Cougars to just 30.6% shooting in the first half.
SDSU continued their dominance in the second half, outscoring San Marcos 11-4 early on, and they maintained a lead of at least 30 points for the remainder of the game. After taking 19 three-point attempts in the first half, the Aztecs focused on inside scoring in the second half, tallying 22 of their 34 points in the paint. The SDSU defense further tightened, allowing the Cougars to make only 5-of-23 field goal attempts and none of their seven three-point tries.
Overall, San Diego State had 10 different scorers and assisted on 17 of their 32 field goals. They dominated the glass with a 40-29 rebounding advantage, leading to a 21-5 edge in second-chance points, while also tallying 14 steals and forcing 22 turnovers.
The Aztecs will play their first regular-season game next week, hosting UC San Diego on Wednesday, November 6, with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m. at Steve Fisher Court at Viejas Arena.