SAN DIEGO – San Diego State overcame its largest deficit of the season en route to a 71-68 victory over San Jose State on Tuesday night.
The Aztecs (14-5, 7-3 Mountain West) trailed by as many as 21 points in the first half but closed the night on a 21-6 scoring run holding the Spartans (10-12, 3-7 MW) to 2-of-15 shooting in the final eight and a half minutes.
Magoon Gwath led all scorers with 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting (3-of-6 from three) to go along with seven rebounds. Miles Byrd (13) and Nick Boyd (11) also recorded double-digits with Boyd matching the game high with nine rebounds.
On the other side, San Jose State were led by 23 from Latrell Davis and 21 from Josh Uduje. The duo each made five triples combining for 10-of-16 from beyond the arc.
Uduje was scorching hot to begin the contest, scoring 16 of the team’s 19 points giving them a 19-10 lead at the second media timeout. San Jose State’s lead would reach double-digits at the 12:20 mark.
About the same time, San Diego State went ice cold. Over a nine-minute stretch, they were 1-of-8 from the field with nine turnovers including seven consecutive minutes without a point. The drought ultimately helped the Spartans extend their lead to 21 points with 7:03 left in the half.
A Taj Degourville jumper sparked a 13-3 (11-0) scoring run over the next four minutes, but SDSU still found themselves down 41-29 at the half.
San Jose State’s sharp shooting from beyond the arc was a major factor as the Spartans were 9-of-16 from three through 20 minutes.
After Gwath totaled 14 points in the first half, he continued to spark the Scarlet and Black offense with six of the team’s first eight second half points.
With 7:58 left in the game, an 18-0 San Diego State scoring run gave it its first lead since making the first bucket of the game 27 seconds after tip.
The Aztecs would finish the game holding San Jose State to one field goal in their final 12 attempts as part of a 21-6 run until the horn sounded.
San Diego State remains at home for its next opponent as they host Wyoming on Saturday. Tipoff at Steve Fisher Court at Viejas Arena will be at 5 p.m. PT on CBS Sports Network.
THE NOTE
The 21-point deficit overcome matches the largest since overcoming a 22-point deficit against Green Bay on Nov. 20, 2010 (also 21 points at UNLV March 8, 2017). It is the second largest comeback victory since at least the 1996-97 season.
Men’s Hoops Dominant Second Half Leads to Comeback Win Over San Jose State
The Aztecs overcame a 21-point first half deficit for a 71-68 victory over San Jose State on Tuesday night.
