SAN DIEGO – For their first NCAA DI game, San Diego State’s pair of four-stars in guard Elzie Harrington and forward Tae Simmons looked plenty comfortable — so much so that they became the first freshmen in a decade to score double-figures in their debut as part of the Aztecs’ 77-45 win over Long Beach State.
The duo combined for an electrifying alley-oop that snapped a near five minute field goal drought early in the second stanza, one of many highlights as the Aztecs (1-0) had five players score in double-figures. Harrington matched Miles Byrd’s game-high in scoring, while Simmons made his presence felt in the paint, corralling nearly as many offensive rebounds (four) as the entire Beach team (five).
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Harrington had 13 points while dealing a team-high four assists in 24 minutes while only committing two turnovers and finishing a game-best plus-25. Simmons notched 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting and finished behind only Miles Heide with seven rebounds in 18 minutes of action.
“Elzie is extremely skilled, tall and lengthy, and has an ability to really finish, and Tae doesn’t look like a freshman, he looks like a grown man out there and plays like a grown man out there, so as he gets experience he’ll continue to grow out there,” said head coach Brian Dutcher.
In the opening half Simmons scored 8 points and snatched four rebounds, while Harrington finished a team-high plus-15 while scoring 6 points with a pair of helpers.
Perhaps the brightest highlight moment of the first half came when the defensive seas parted for Harrington, who took advantage with a straight-line drive down the lane for a thunderous one-handed jam that further whipped the energized Scarlet and Black crowd into a frenzy.
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“He handled their pressure really well… I think Elzie did a good job today of, ‘if you want to press me I’m just gonna go by you and try to create for my teammates,’” Byrd said. “He had that great dunk down the middle of the lane, had some good passes as well.”
San Diego State forward Tae Simmons (8) waits to box out after a free throw an NCAA Basketball game against Long Beach State, Tuesday November 4, 2025 in San Diego, Calif.
Brandon Pollard – The Sporting Tribune
San Diego State forward Tae Simmons (8) waits to box out after a free throw an NCAA Basketball game against Long Beach State, Tuesday November 4, 2025 in San Diego, Calif.
Simmons had multiple ‘bulldog’ moments in the opening 20, including earning a pair of and-one opportunities by out-battling a sea of black for the put back.
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“He’s a strong guy, he’s a pretty strong freshman, it’s very hard to out-rebound him, I’ll be honest,” Heide said. “He’s a really good offensive rebounder so, his knack for the ball (and) his way of seeing how it comes off the rim is really special.”
The former Heritage Christian Warrior also showed intriguing range too, knocking down a corner 3-pointer with the shot clock running down that kicked off a 23-7 stretch to finish the final just under seven minutes of the opening half for the Aztecs.
There were a few ‘freshman’ moments as well, like a bungled inbound between the duo after The Beach split a pair of free-throws. Simmons shoveled the ball in to Harrington, but with both treating the play a bit too casually, the ball deflected back out of bounds over the end line.
Harrington could’ve brought the house down even further after a mid-court steal and free path for another opportunity to drop the hammer, but spiked his dunk attempt too strong off the heel of the rim.
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Still, those were blips in a 15-point lead at the half that turned into the kind of final differential that the Aztecs didn’t muster regularly last year. The 32-point margin topped their high of 29 against Air Force in 2024-25, one of four wins by 20-plus and eight by double-digits.
For the record, Jeremy Hemsley was the last double-figure SDSU freshman debut, scoring 20 points in his debut against Illinois State in the 2015-16 season. That began a campaign where Hemsley earned the Mountain West freshman of the year award by the coaches and was voted third-team All-Mountain West by the coaches and media.
Now with successful Mesa premieres in the books, both Harrington and Simmons will have plenty of opportunities to earn the chance for more on a deep Aztecs team.
“You never stay the same and you never get promised anything when you come here — (if) you deserve the minutes and you prove yourself then you get those opportunities,” Dutcher said. “We continue to throw everybody out there and there will start to be some separation as to who performs at a higher level.
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“Not to say that they’re not all gonna play, but who’s in at the end of the game when the game’s on the line, that’s something we’re gonna have to figure out as we go and see who can do what on the court.”
