San Diego State came into the game as major underdogs, but led at the half, 36-29. However, they faltered greatly to begin the second half as Brigham Young took the lead early in the half. Nonetheless, the resilient Aztecs fought back in the final six minutes to go on 22-10 run to take a huge road victory at one of the toughest stadiums to play in.
The Aztecs started off hot, taking a 10-4 lead five minutes into the game. They kept the lead, with their best lead coming at the very end, a 36-29 lead at the half.
Malachi Flynn led all San Diego State scorers in the first half going 5-for-9 from the field and 2-for-3 from the three.
As a team, the Aztecs shot 48% from the field and went 5-for-6 on free throws. Their best run came to start San Diego State scoring to go from down 0-3 to up 7-3 in the span of two minutes.
The Aztecs fell quickly to begin the second half as Brigham Young quickly jumped to a 23-7 run to make a seven-point deficit turn into a nine-point lead. But the Aztecs did not let that stop them.
The Aztecs kept fighting back, chipping away at the deficit until they tied the game up at 65 apiece with three minutes left.
Jordan Schakel drained three after three after three and helped lead San Diego State to a 22-10 run in the final six minutes of the game. The Aztecs took victory in a very hard-fought battle in which the team never gave up.
Schakel led the Aztecs in scoring as he powered through the second half with 17 points, 15 of which came through five three-pointers. Malachi Flynn and KJ Feagin also came through with 17 and 12-point games as starters.
12 of Flynn’s 17 points came in the first half, where he led the team to a halftime lead. Feagin went 3-for-8 from the field and made all four of his free throws.
Nathan Mensah led the team with 11 rebounds and forwards Matt Mitchell dropped nine points with Aguek Arop’s eight points off the bench to lead the team to a major victory.
The 76-71 win for San Diego State was the largest win for the Aztecs in Provo since 1985, and their first win in Provo since 2005, ending a 6-game losing streak. The win also makes it a team-best fourth straight win over the Cougars, dating back to March 12, 2011, when the streak began.
The Aztecs advance to 2-0 on the season. It is the first time they have won the first two games of the season with at least one of them coming on the road since the 2010-11 season when they defeated Long Beach State and no. 11/12 Gonzaga, both on the road, as they began the season 20-0. They finished that year with a 34-3 record and went onto their first NCAA Sweet 16 appearance.
The Aztecs will return to the court on Wednesday night against the Grand Canyon Antelopes for a 7 p.m. tip-off at the Viejas Arena. The Aztecs have not beaten the Antelopes in three games between the two colleges but early odds give San Diego State the early odds over Grand Canyon.