San Diego State vs Utah State Recap: Aztecs Return the Favor, Win 75-56.
The Aztecs even the season series 1-1 with a blowout.
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San Diego State continues to defend its home court.
The San Diego State Aztecs (16-6, 8-3 MW) kept the Utah State Aggies (15-12, 6-8 MW) under 60 points by forcing 15 turnovers and recording another home conference victory. Matt Bradley continues his tear-through conference play with another 20-plus point game, 16 of which came in the first half.
.@matty_bradley brought the rain inside tonight #GoAztecs pic.twitter.com/HWd7fM65F2
— San Diego State Men's Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) February 16, 2022
Utah State held a slim 26-25 lead in the first half until the Aztecs conducted a 10-3 Aztec run in the waning minutes before the break. In that time, the Aggies turned the ball over four times with RJ Eytle-Rock giving up possession twice. The 42-34 score going into halftime was too much to overcome as the Aggies were not able to recapture the lead, even with Justin Bean recording 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists.
B3️⃣AN‼️@justinbean34#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/jW8rihCu95
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) February 16, 2022
Unlike their matchup in Logan, the visiting team shot 5-of-18 from beyond the arc.
Aggie guard Steven Ashworth was quick but Lamont Butler was quicker. Ashworth shot 1-of-4 from deep, compared to his 5-of-10 in the previous matchup.
“We stayed extended on them and wouldn’t let them kick out for open threes,” said SDSU head coach Brian Dutcher. “They hit 10 [threes] against us in the first game…but we did a good job taking their threes away [tonight].”
While Bradley frustrated Utah State defenders, San Diego State’s offense was powered by stout defense and other guys getting hot. The team scored 23 points off turnovers leading to open dunks by Junior Keshad Johnson who contributed 14 points in the rout.
HAMMER TIME @kj_showtime0 #GoAztecs pic.twitter.com/Ig1f3dfFXV
— San Diego State Men's Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) February 16, 2022
“We had back-to-back good offensive games. Who would’ve thought that would happen?” said Brian Dutcher. “We had 19 assists and shot a high percentage, 51 percent from the field, and played good basketball.”
The Aztecs are riding a four-game winning streak going into the teeth of their schedule. Notable opponents remaining on the lineup are Fresno State twice, Boise State, and a ranked Wyoming (who lost in an upset to New Mexico on Tuesday Night). With the Aztecs clicking on offense right now, opposing coaches will have nightmares trying to prepare their defenses.
Up Next
San Diego State, only 1.5 games back of first place, drives to Fresno on Saturday to take on the Bulldogs. For Utah State, they go to Boise for a Saturday matchup with the Broncos.
