In the last meeting between San Diego State and Utah State in Logan, Utah, it took an overtime period for the Aztecs to defeat the Aggies. At sea level, in front of "The Show," San Diego State's student section, instead of "The HURD," Utah State's student section, the Aztecs didn't need overtime to cruise to a 60-45 victory.
No. 6 San Diego State held a 25-point lead, 60-35, with 3:28 remaining and with mostly bench players on the court. The Aggies went on a 10-0 run to narrow the final margin of victory to 15 points.
Early in the first half the Aztecs took a 6-5 lead and never looked back. It was the start of a 12-0 run that put them up 16-5. Matt Shrigley hit three three-pointers within a 2:04 span that ignited the offense for the Aztecs. By the end of the first half, San Diego State was up 35-22.
Shrigley has struggled with his outside shooting in conference play but found his touch against the Aggies. He finished with 15 points to lead all scorers and made 4-of-7 from beyond the three-point line. Xavier Thames and Winston Shepard are the two leading scorers for the Aztecs this season, but each had just four points against Utah State.
The frontcourt for the Aztecs played especially well. Josh Davis had 12 points and eight rebounds. Skylar Spencer had one of his best performances this season, contributing 10 points, three rebounds and four blocked shots.
Jarred Shaw found himself in foul trouble throughout the night. He still finished with 10 points and seven rebounds. Spencer Butterfield also had 10 points along with five rebounds for the Aggies.
Utah State is averaging 71 points a game. The Aztecs had a chance to hold them to their season-low 42 points, but Viko Noma'aea nailed a three pointer in the final possession for the Aggies to boost their total to 45 points on the night.
The Aztecs can now concentrate on their showdown at New Mexico on Saturday night. The top two teams in the Mountain West meet for the first time this season on February 22. They will turn around and meet again in San Diego on March 8. Those two games will likely determine the winner of the conference and the number one seed for the conference tournament.