Gwath shines back in starting lineup as Aztecs win comfy, but not complete

SAN DIEGO – Head coach Brian Dutcher stood near half court, smiling while rubbing his hands together after Magoon Gwath had just knocked the ball free and dove to secure the steal on a tie up nearly three and a half minutes into the second half.

It was the kind of effort play that characterized the forward’s return to the starting lineup after coming off the bench for the past two games, as he led San Diego State with 18 points and a season-high 8 rebounds in a 71-52 win over Fresno State on Saturday night at Viejas Arena.

But the Aztecs (11-4, 5-0 Mountain West) felt like they had left some meat on the bone, having had a chance to expand their lead beyond 15 points multiple times in the first half, and pushing right up against but never getting beyond a 30 point edge on the Bulldogs (7-9, 1-4) in the second half.

After scoring the first two buckets of the game in the first half, Gwath did the same in the second half. Only in the second stanza, after jamming an alley-oop feed from Miles Byrd, Gwath later added a right wing 3-pointer as part of an opening 9-0 run that blew open a 15-point halftime lead.

The Aztecs held Fresno State to just one basket over the first 7:10 of the second half, as the Scarlet and Black scored 16 of the 18 points and pushed their lead out to 29 points. Reese Dixon-Waters made it five straight games in double figures as he knocked down a 3-ball as well as a midrange jumper as part of his 13 points.

But with the lead would never hit 30, as slowly but surely Fresno State began to get layups on missed coverages as well as hitting treys, putting together a 9-0 run. The SDSU lead shrunk to 13 points on a Jac Mani 3-pointer and a paint bucket plus three free throws by DeShawn Gory, but Dixon-Waters scored on an and-one and Byrd slammed home a missed triple for his 10th point to go with six assists to close the game out.

It felt like the lead at the half should’ve been more for the Aztecs.

SDSU held Fresno State without a basket for the first 6:35, but only converted for 8 early points inside. Dixon-Waters went hunting for 3-pointers early, but the Aztecs would not hit from downtown until Reese converted from straight away with just over 12 minutes played.

Still, the defense for the Scarlet and Black forced eight turnovers in the first 8:23, punctuated by a steal and slam by Byrd that gave the hosts their first 10-point lead at the 8:16 mark.

They defended the rim as well, allowing just one 2-point basket in the opening half on a fast break layup. Otherwise the Fresno State offense came either from five made triples or two perfect two-shot trips to the line.

Meanwhile San Diego State got plays like Miles Heide’s hustle tip battle win for an offensive rebound that deflected back into the Aztec defensive end. It ended with a slick bit of passing that moved the ball from wing to the opposite corner for Byrd, who whipped it across the baseline for Gwath to rain a 3 from the left corner.

The Bulldogs fell behind by as much as 15 points twice, but forced six Aztec turnovers over the final seven minutes to prevent it from completely getting away early and got back to within 10 four separate times.

Gory finished with 16 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, while Jake Heidbreder scored all 11 of his points in the first half.

Fresno State was without their second-leading scorer Zaon Collins, who came into the game averaging 13.6 points per game and did not dress while wearing a boot on his right foot. Collins had scored 14 points with six rebounds in 36 minutes at San José State on Tuesday, Jan. 6.

The Aztecs are back on the road next, facing the Wyoming Cowboys at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 14 at Arena Auditorium.

This story will be updated.