SAN DIEGO – For much of the game between the San Diego State Aztecs and Bethune-Cookman Wildcats burned with the intensity of the midday sun, but a late run helped SDSU pull away late for an 88-75 win on Wednesday afternoon at Viejas Arena.
Junior guard Latrell Davis scored a season-high 26 points on 11-of-15 shooting, as sophomore guard Elzie Harrington added 18 points and a game-high 8 assists. After being held to just a combined 6 points and 3 rebounds in the first half, the Aztecs (3-0) post players roared to life as fifth-year forward Bear Cherry finished with 15 points and sophomore forward Tae Simmons had 10 points and 5 rebounds.
"(The coaches) told us that, 'You'll be able to drive this team. They're undisciplined. They kind of jump at every shot fake. So you're going to get to the paint, play off two feet and just make the base hit,'" Davis said.
With the visitors from Daytona Beach, Fla. holding a 64-62 lead with 9:10 to play, the Aztecs used a 14-2 stretch to take control of the game. Senior guard Isaiah Sy made a pair of vital triples, backing up the backcourt duo of Davis and Harrington and helping SDSU put the game out of reach.
"We do what good teams do. We got stops, and those stops led to fast breaks," head coach Brian Dutcher said.
"I think we got three or four stops in a row in that stretch. And they led to fast break baskets and opportunities where we could create some separation."
The Wildcats played with the confidence of opening their season with a slate that featured a neutral court game with Furman, then road trips to then-No. 19 Texas Tech and Grand Canyon, despite losing all three. After making 12 of their first 20 attempts in the second half, BC’s shot-making ran out down the stretch as they missed 12 of their final 14 shots from the floor.
"They were definitely making some tough shots, but also, we lacked concentration at certain points. We also had too many turnovers, so things like that we can definitely clean up to make the tough shots not feel as bad," Harrington said. "I'm happy we got timely stops at the end and we're able to get the job done."
After a contentious first half that saw lots of contact back and forth between the posts, the game briefly boiled over 3:38 into the second half as redshirt-junior guard Mari Jordan drove in one-on-one on Cherry, and after first bumping the forward’s chest with his shoulder, got his off arm up and connected with Cherry’s jaw.
It was reviewed and upgraded to a flagrant foul 2, which included the ejection of BC’s leading scorer at the time with 11 points in nearly 21 minutes. The Wildcats finished with five players in double-figures, led by senior guard Jaylen Jones scoring 14 points off the bench.
"I like the demeanor of the team. I didn't think they got caught complaining about stuff, you know, complaining about they thought they were fouled or this and that. They just played basketball, and they let me worry about talking to the officials," Dutcher said. "I like that about them. They have to stay focused on every possession, and anything that distracts them from that is detrimental to the team, so I thought they maintained their focus for the majority of their game."
After making both free-throws, Cherry got the ball on the block and twisted into the lane for a righty baby-hook, but pulled up and appeared to have trouble putting weight on his right leg as he hobbled off the court. The fifth-year returned to the game at the 13:29 mark after BC erased a 6-point deficit in 28 seconds with back-to-back 3’s, forcing an SDSU timeout.
From there on, the Aztecs began their run and also cut down their amount of turnovers. After coughing the ball up 13 times in the first 29 minutes of action, they only gave it up two times down the stretch.
Dakota Gray - The Sporting Tribune
San Diego State forward Tae SImmons (8) reacts during the second half on an NCAA basketball game against Bethune-Cookman on Wednesday, November 11 at Viejas Arena in San Diego, California.
SDSU struggled in their half-court execution early, getting both of their early paint buckets from Davis — one on a back-cut and another on a drive near the midway mark of the opening half. Then, after the first media timeout just after the 16 minute mark, the turnover bug bit the Aztecs as they turned it over on five consecutive possessions with four substitutes in.
The ship began to steady as Davis and Simmons returned to the lineup, as the Leeds-born guard slashed and scored. Then a returning Cherry added an additional swagger inside, as the Aztecs made six straight from the field by switching between attacking with guards and posts probing the paint.
It became part of a 12-2 run, part of a larger stretch where the Aztecs made seven driving layups in a row. Davis scored off the dribble three times, with Simmons taking a pair to the cup, with Gladden and Harrington also getting into the action.
That helped turn what had been as large as a 6-point deficit into a 5-point lead three separate times before the four minute mark, as the Wildcats got a dunk from graduate student forward Daniel Rouzan and made a pair of tough contested 2’s.
The game was within a point at the half, SDSU holding a 36-35 lead thanks to making 11 of their final 13 shots from the field. Despite a 24-16 edge in paint scoring, only a portion of the scores in the key came from passing the ball into the post versus driving the lane.
"We all just want to win. Nobody is really 'me, me, me. I need this, I need that.' If we win at the end of the day, we're happy and if it's a solid win that we're happy with, then we'll be happy. And if it's a win that we feel like we could have done better, then we're going to be mad," Davis said. "We just know we've got to get back to work and practice, and get better."
Up next, the Aztecs have their second of three neutral site contests during the preseason as they take on the New Mexico State Aggies at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 15 at Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, Calif. The event, known as the Compete 4 Cause Classic, will be the ninth meeting all-time between SDSU and NMSU, and the first since the Scarlet and Black won 73-69 in overtime as a No. 4 seed against the No. 13 Aggies in the Round of 64 of the 2014 NCAA Tournament.
New Mexico State (1-1) was picked sixth in 10-team Conference-USA, with guard DJ Dudley one of 10 preseason All-Conference selections. After going 16-16 and 8-12 in conference, bowing out in the CUSA semifinals, the Aggies opened the season with a win over Western New Mexico before getting blitzed at Gonzaga, 109-68 by the No. 15 Bulldogs. NMSU has a road game at UTEP on Thursday, Nov. 12 before facing the Aztecs.
The game will be San Diego State’s first ever at the North County facility, which opened in 2024. The Compete 4 Cause Classic will be televised on The CW - KUSI in San Diego, with a terrestrial radio broadcast on 760AM KGB.
This story was updated at 5:09 p.m.