SAN DIEGO – On a night that featured the most points combined since 1991, a miraculous halfcourt shot to force overtime and a bitter 108-107 loss in double overtime, at least San Diego State Aztecs fans can take solace in the return of Magoon Gwath.
From when the reigning Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year checked in for the first time in the 2025-26 season, nearly three minutes into the contest, the shouts of “Gooooon” reverberated around Viejas Arena. After SDSU (2-1) uncharacteristically ceded the lane to the Troy Trojans (4-2), Gwath’s comeback is precisely when the Scarlet and Black need it.
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“I felt good about my game on the offensive end, and also getting three blocks feels good,” Gwath said. “After having knee surgery, getting confident in moving is the biggest thing for me to boost my confidence overall.”
From his first bucket of a year, an alley-oop off a feed from Miles Byrd, to his first block in the final seconds of the first half, the sophomore made his presence felt at both ends of the court. Gwath reached the 20 point plateau for the third time in his career, making all five of his shots from the field including a pair of critical 3’s during SDSU’s furious 12-point rally in the final just under four minutes.
He snatched seven rebounds and swatted the trio of shots, his rim protecting sorely needed against a Troy team that worked their offense inside-out and outscored the Aztecs 38-36 in the paint. The 28 minutes Gwath played was only slightly elevated from his average of 24.9 minutes per game last season.
San Diego State forward Magoon Gwath (0) attempts a 3-pointer during an NCAA Basketball game against Troy, Tuesday November 18, 2025 at Viejas Arena in San Diego, Calif.
Brandon Pollard – The Sporting Tribune
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San Diego State forward Magoon Gwath (0) attempts a 3-pointer during an NCAA Basketball game against Troy, Tuesday November 18, 2025 at Viejas Arena in San Diego, Calif.
“The knee didn’t bother him, I think fatigue bothered him (down the stretch) for his first game in a long time,” said head coach Brian Dutcher. “I thought he played straight up and down too much, came out of his stance, but that’s just being tired for not having played a game… but I thought he was spectacular.”
When Gwath was on the court, the Scarlet and Black were a plus-15; no other player in the game had as positive an impact when on the floor. BJ Davis had the next highest plus-minus for SDSU at plus-8 points, while Troy’s top two plus-minus players guard Cobi Campbell and center Theo Seng were both plus-8.
There had been discussion as to whether or not the forward would be on limited minutes for his first competitive game since SDSU’s First Four loss to North Carolina on March 18, but Dutcher was quick to dispel any lingering concerns that Gwath’s play didn’t answer itself.
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“He looked fresh, he looked good, I don’t think we put him in any danger playing him — we took him out, we rested him quite a bit,” Dutcher said. “He played a ton in the overtimes, so he was probably right on target in regulation, but once we went overtime he was too important, and wanted to be in there and was playing at a high level.”
With the opening opponent at the Players Era Festival, No. 6/7 Michigan, sporting 7-foot-3 post monster Aday Mara (25.7 min, 12.0 pts, .727 FG%, 10.3 reb, 3.7 blk) and a familiar face from the NCAA Tournament two seasons ago in UAB grad transfer Yaxel Lendeborg (11.7 pts, .522 FG%, 6.3 reb, 1.7 blk), the Aztecs will need ‘Goon’ in a big way.
SDSU begins the three-game Players Era Festival at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 24 at the Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay against the Wolverines.
