SAN DIEGO – Forget chocolates and flowers, San Diego State gifted fans on The Mesa with the return of Magoon Gwath, 20 points from Reese Dixon-Waters and the season’s biggest run in a 71-57 win over the Nevada Wolf Pack on Saturday night at Viejas Arena.
The Aztecs’ (18-6, 12-2 Mountain West) defense showed no love by holding Nevada (17-8, 9-5) to a season scoring low, and responded to their 11-point halftime lead evaporating over the first five minutes of the second half with a 13-0 run. It was part of a stretch where the Scarlet and Black outscored the Wolf Pack 18-1 and never looked back.
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“I became a better coach today because Magoon Gwath got back on the floor,” said head coach Brian Dutcher with a slight grin. “We had five blocked shots and held them to 32% shooting. Coaching is overrated. Having good players is not. I have really good players that play well together, and I am just proud of all of them.”
Gwath finished with 13 points, five blocks, three rebounds and an assist in a limited 13 minutes of play where he finished a game-best plus-22 in his first game since Jan. 17. Dixon-Waters continued his steady scoring stretch, putting up 20 or more points for the third time this season and extending his double-figure scoring streak to 14 games.
The SDSU win completed a season series sweep of Nevada, and also an all-time Mountain West era unbeaten home series against the Wolf Pack, with the Aztecs going 14-0 at The Madhouse on The Mesa.
With the game tied at 38 on an Elijah Price dunk, the decisive run began with BJ Davis taking a rebound and running out, pulling up on the right wing and knocking down a 3-pointer. Then Tae Simmons drew his second charge of the game, setting up a possession where Davis found Gwath alone for a triple that got the capacity crowd roaring.
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“It felt great, I lost two pounds in my leg from that brace. It’s just easier to play out there. I’m moving a lot better. Those four weeks off to get my body right helped a lot, mentally and physically,” Gwath said.
Miles Byrd recorded two of his three steals for the game during the stretch, which also included knocking down a pair of free-throws from his 4 points on the night along with five rebounds. Davis finished with 14 points and five assists, scoring 10 and dishing four of his dimes in the second half.
SDSU made the most of their 14-0 advantage creating turnovers, outscoring the Wolf Pack 23-10 in points off giveaways. They also kept the Nevada bench off the scoreboard until 7:16 remaining in the second half, with the Aztecs enjoying a 31-9 in scoring by reserves.
“I always tell the guys, it is hard to win a game in the half court, so we have to get second chance opportunities on the glass and we have to run,” Dutcher said. “Part of our big run in the second half was all fast-break opportunities, all steals. We created a lot of turnovers, which led to a lot of baskets and free throws.”
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Elijah Price led the Wolf Pack with 17 points, drawing 11 fouls and going 13-for-15 at the free throw line while corralling 10 rebounds — four on the offensive glass, as Nevada had a 15-8 edge on the O-boards. Corey Camper Jr. also scored 16 points on 6 of 15 shooting.
In the first half Dixon-Waters kicked off a 9-0 stretch by sinking a pair at the free-throw line, then when Gwath checked in for the first time 3:13 into the game, he found the senior guard at the right elbow to knock down a jumper. The reigning Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year followed up by forcing a short miss by Price and then got fouled, making both, with Dixon-Waters finishing the burst with the first scarlet and black triple to make it a 5-point lead.
“We caught a rhythm. Obviously, we’re playing back-to-back games. I wouldn’t say I wasn’t worried, but I was curious abouthow we were going to come back and play, especially having a week off. I think we’ve grown as a team,” Dixon-Waters said.
The duo of Pharaoh Compton and Taj DeGourville came off the bench to provide an 8-0 spurt just past seven minutes played as the forward made a pair of free-throws, DeGourville nailed a top of the key triple and then fed Compton in transition for an an-one after a Nevada miss.
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DeGourville was impactful in his 23 minutes off the bench, notching four assists with a pair of steals and an emphatic block of Price in the first half. Compton was limited to 14 minutes due to foul trouble, but scored 9 points and added two rebounds and a block.
SDSU’s defense shut down the Wolf Pack offense after Camper Jr. scored a paint basket at 14:10, forcing nine consecutive misses over a 7:47 stretch that saw the Scarlet and Black outscore the visitors 15-2 and build a 13-point lead.
The edge grew as big as 16 when Sean Newman Jr. drew coverage on a drive and set up Compton for a thunderous alley-oop down the left side of the lane with 3:46 before the break. But Nevada had a 9-0 run of their own to pull within 7 points, with Price making four free-throws and Camper Jr. knocking down a paint bucket and a 3-pointer.
SDSU closed the half with Davis netting a free-throw line pull up as the shot clock was expiring, then DeGourville found Byrd cutting backdoor along the left baseline for an emphatic left-hand jam that made it 36-25 Aztecs at the break.
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The Aztecs will close their two-game homestand against the Grand Canyon Lopes, who handed SDSU a 70-69 loss in Phoenix on Jan. 21.
“This is a tough stretch of games coming up. We are playing the upper half of the conference over the next week. We beat a good Nevada team, we have Grand Canyon coming here, then we are heading to Colorado State, and then we come back home against Utah State,” Dutcher said.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 17 at Viejas Arena and the game will be televised on CBS Sports Network, with a local radio broadcast on 760 AM.
This story was updated at 11:21 p.m.
