San Diego State overcame another slow start to pull away in the second half and beat San Jose State 72-64 Tuesday at Viejas Arena.
Jaedon LeDee led the Aztecs with 27 points and 11 rebounds as SDSU used tough defense to grind down a San Jose State team that listed eight players as being scratched from the game.
“That’s everybody in this league. We’re going to get everybody’s best shot,” said LeDee, who also led San Diego State in minutes played with 35.
The No. 20 Aztecs (22-7, 11-5 Mountain West) were entering their next-to-last home game on a high after dismantling Fresno State 73-41 on Saturday to stay in the hunt for first place in the conference.
It’s the other side of the coin for the Spartans (9-20, 2-14 MW), who have struggled all year to settle in last place in the MW.
The Aztecs started off sluggishly, falling behind 8-5 and then 10-7, though Micah Parrish and Elijah Saunders offered up highlights with, respectively, a three-pointer and a jam from under the basket.
Slowly, the Aztecs worked their way back to tie the game at 15-15, with Parrish again taking center state, this time shooting the tying basket from the corner.
From there, the Aztecs took the lead and began to build on it. Forward Miles Heide scored off the glass to make it 17-15, then LeDee fought off a double team to add two more.
San Jose fought back with a three-pointer, but Saunders responded with his own shot from long distance, and as the clock wound down, guard Miles Byrd drove to the basket for two points. Then NCAA Tournament hero Lamont Butler nailed a three from the corner.
San Jose State had a chance to cut the lead, but failed to score in back-to-back possessions as the Aztecs went into halftime with a 29-22 lead, despite only holding the lead for 5:56 of the half.
Both teams came out of the break playing at a faster pace, with LeDee scoring the first two baskets for the Aztecs to push their lead to 33-22. But San Jose State kept fighting, matching the Aztecs bucket for bucket before Parrish drove to the basket to give his team a six-point lead.
SDSU then went on a run that appeared to put the game out of reach, pushing the margin to double digits, at 52-35.
But a media time out stopped the momentum and the gritty Spartans refused to be blown out, throwing up three three-pointers during a 13-2 run that cut the lead to single digits with under seven minutes to go.
Then, as he has done all season, LeDee came to the rescue, with a steal and a drive to the basket. After being fouled, he nailed the free throw to complete the three-point play and boost the lead to 62-54.
San Jose still refused to go away, keeping the game close, but the Aztecs, with a dunk by Saunders and 6-for-6 shooting on free throws in the final minute, closed out the win.
Head coach Brian Dutcher praised his team’s defense and said the Aztecs “played good basketball today.” But he also credited what he called a scrappy San Jose team.
“We know how good San Jose is,” he said, adding, “you’re not safe against any opponent in this
league.”
NOTES: The Aztecs and the Spartans were meeting for the 84th time, with SDSU holding a 48-35 advantage in the series … Just two regular-season games remain. After a week off, next up for the Aztecs is a road game March 5 at UNLV. They conclude the season at home against Boise State on March 8.