Second seeded San Diego State secured a quarterfinal victory over the seventh seeded Colorado State Rams to advance to the semifinal round of the Mountain West Championship Tournament 71-62. The Aztecs’ victory inside the Thomas & Mack Center was good for the team’s twenty-first victory of the season. SDSU will face off against the winner of third seeded New Mexico and eleventh seeded San Jose State.

Miles Byrd would strike first, scoring the first points of the game on a driving layup. For the next 17 minutes both teams exchanged small scoring runs with neither program able to pull away from the other. With just over three minutes left in the half a Pharaoh Compton putback layup sparked 12-0 scoring run in favor of the Aztecs capped off with a Magoon Gwath three point make from the top of the key with 30 seconds left on the clock. Led by Compton’s 10 points San Diego State headed into the break with a 39-27 lead.

Head coach Brian Dutcher’s team continued the defensive pressure into the second frame of action, holding Colorado State to just three points in the first four minutes and 20 seconds. A Gwath turnaround jump shot from the short corner pushed the Aztec’s lead to a game high 16 points at the fourteen-minute mark. The Rams attempted to rally late cutting the lead to seven behind free throws and three-point shooting. Regardless, SDSU outlasted the Rams with a Miles Byrd free throw capping off the nine-point victory.

The trio of Byrd, Compton and Reese Dixon-Waters all eclipsed double figures in scoring with Byrd posting a team high 12 points. Byrd and Miles Heide each secured eight rebounds while Magoon Gwath’s two blocks pushed his career total to 100 rejections.

As a team San Diego State’s defense was stout. They held Colorado State to just 33 percent shooting from the floor while forcing 16 turnovers. The Aztecs dominated the interior outscoring their opponent 42-8 in the paint. Eight different players scored at least six points while six players shot at least 50 percent from the floor.            

UP NEXT

San Diego State now turns its attention to the semifinals of the Mountain West Conference Tournament. The Aztecs will either face off against the Spartans of San Jose State or the Lobos of New Mexico State. During the regular season the team posted a 2-1 record against their possible opponents including 13-point win against the Spartans in San Jose. The game is scheduled to tipoff for 9:00 p.m. PST tomorrow and will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.