November 27, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA San Diego Aztecs guard Nick Boyd (2) dribbles against Oregon Ducks guard TJ Bubba (5) during the second half at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images Ranked in the AP Top 25 last week for the first time this season, San Diego State celebrated by winning its Mountain West Conference opener, subsequently earning bragging rights for the city.
More challenges await within the state.
Moving up one place to No. 23 ranked, the Aztecs (6-2) will host California Baptist on Wednesday before taking an extended break before a Dec. 21 game against Cal in San Jose.
Before picking up an 84-62 Mountain West win at Fresno State on Dec. 4 and a 74-57 home victory over San Diego on Saturday, San Diego State went 2-2 on a tough road trip against then-No. . 3 Gonzaga (loss), then-No. 21 Creighton (win), Oregon (loss) and then-No. 6 Houston (win).
On Saturday, Aztecs manager Brian Dutcher improved to 100-12 in home games, but it was far from simple. San Diego State led 33-31 at halftime before being led by 17 points and six assists from Nick Boyd, who reached double figures in scoring for the sixth time this season.
San Diego State 7-footer Magoon Gwath, a game after he had 25 points and 10 rebounds at Fresno State, was held scoreless and had one rebound in 13 minutes against the Toreros. The towering freshman took a hard fall in the first half and played just one minute after halftime.
Afterwards, Dutcher said Gwath was “worn down” and “couldn’t get into a rhythm,” but the Aztecs still had plenty in reserve to get past San Diego.
“The depth of this team is really dangerous for people. You can take one guy out and have the other guy step up,” Dutcher said. “Jared Coleman-Jones against Houston had (16) and then went quiet for a game or two. I love this team, the depth and the offensive potential they have.”
Coleman-Jones had 13 points and six rebounds against San Diego, while Myles Byrd added 13 points. Boyd is scoring a team-best 12.6 points per game, while Byrd and BJ Davis each contribute 12.3.
“We have so many guys that can have a big night and that’s a special piece for this team,” Boyd said. “When you think about teams that make deep runs in March, every night is not going to be your night, and they have deep teams. We have a deep team here.”
Cal Baptist (5-4) posted a promising 86-81 double-overtime win over Fresno State in Palm Desert, Calif., on Nov. 27, but then dropped a 74-59 decision to UCF on Dec. 1. Dominique Daniels Jr. Had 33 points for the Lancers in Orlando, but none of his teammates scored more than six.
Daniels was 11 of 25 (44 percent) from the floor, while the rest of the team was 9 of 32 (28.1 percent). Cal Baptist also committed a season-high 19 turnovers.
Daniels, a senior, is scoring 21.7 points per game, which ranked 12th in the nation entering the weekend.
“Before you even get into his game, you have to talk about his character and his leadership because it’s real,” Cal Baptist coach Rick Croy said of Daniels. “… He’s an improved player. He can obviously score the basketball, but he’s an improved passer and he’s developed as a defensive player.”
Cal Baptist will face a ranked team for the first time since falling to No. 8 of Arizona in December 2021.
–Within field level