They did that and more by setting the program scoring record at Viejas Arena, sinking 43 of their 50 baskets inside the arc and scoring 84 points in the paint. It was also the most field goals made in a game at the ‘Madhouse on The Mesa’.
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“We basically ‘Arizona schooled’ them: we got all the rebounds and dominated in the paint, so it was good for our guys to realize that,” head coach Brian Dutcher said. “In one day, they knew where the strength was and they put it there. Whether it was against the zone or against the man, we threw it to our bigs and they produced, and it was all of them.”
Pharaoh Compton had career-highs of 21 points and eight rebounds with four dunks, while Tae Simmons matched his career-high of 15 points. The Aztecs (7-4) had six players score in double figures.
“When you see a (size) advantage like that, we have a lot of guys that can finish inside, so it was all about just getting the ball in the post and, to be frank, they didn’t stop it, so why stop going in?” Simmons said.
SDSU had its season scoring average of 81 points just over five minutes into the second half when Reese Dixon-Waters hit a three-pointer from the right wing. After failing to connect from downtown in his last two games, the senior made one of six 3-pointers in 14 attempts in the regular rotation.
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The Aztecs scored their first 14 points and had their first eight field goals in the paint, taking advantage of a Poets team whose two tallest players are 6-foot-8. It was a welcome sight after seeing the rim attack disappear near the end of the first half and for most of the second half against Arizona.
The interior attack was the driving force of the offense in an explosive first half in which the Aztecs accumulated 62 points. Only seven of 45 shot attempts came from beyond the arc, and the Scarlet and Black made 23 2-point field goals, the same amount they made overall against Idaho State and Troy, the second-most in a complete game this season.
Compton was the leading scorer of the half, earning 15 points and two of them on dunks. Jeremiah Oden also scored in double figures through the first 20 minutes, scoring 12 points and hitting two of three from beyond the arc. For the game he finished with 14 points and six rebounds.
Starting guard duo Dixon-Waters and Miles Byrd scored 10 and 6 points each, taking just 12 shots combined. Byrd made three or more field goals for the sixth time this season; The five times he has scored two or less so far are already more than the three times he did it all of last season.
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Magoon Gwath’s dropstep just 3:36 into the second half was SDSU’s 29th 2-point basket of the game, surpassing its season high of 28 against Oregon. Gwath finished with 15 points and five rebounds, while post teammate Miles Heide had 12 points and four rebounds with four kills.
Simmons scored his 100th point of the game with 6:55 remaining, the end of a pair of free throws in which he tied his career high for scoring.
Cam Lawin added a 3-pointer and a teardrop runner in the paint off the bench late, and Raymar Gonzales scored the first basket of his NCAA career with a left-elbow jumper. Thokbor Majak then scored the record-breaking hoop on a turnaround shot with 27 seconds left.
“When they were presented with that opportunity, they made the most of it,” Compton said. “The whole team was happy to see that, we were going crazy on the bench for them.”
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Whittier junior guard Jonathan Dudley, the Poets’ leading scorer coming off SCIAC Offensive Player of the Week honors, was held to 7 points on 2-of-7 shooting. Bryce Whitaker led all poets with 13 points.
At the end of non-conference play, SDSU finds itself in a fairly unfamiliar place, entering the day in seventh place in the Mountain West in the NET rankings. Without a signature win to hang your hat on (the best win currently is a Quad 2 finish over Utah Valley), even more emphasis is placed on conference performance.
As for the NET, Utah State (10-1) sits atop the conference at No. 17 thanks to a trio of Quad 2 wins. Boise State (8-4) is the only team with multiple Quad 1 wins, winning at Butler on Dec. 6 and beating Saint Mary’s in a neutral game on Dec. 14. New Mexico (10-2) is the only other team with a Quad 1 non-conference win, beating Virginia Commonwealth on the road on Dec. 10.
Full body of Mountain West Conference play begins at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, December 30 against the San Jose State Spartans at the Provident Credit Union Event Center. SDSU’s next home conference game is against the Boise State Broncos at 7 p.m. on Saturday, January 3, 2026.