On a historical night for the San Diego State Aztecs, the basketball squad pulled off an electric comeback against the Utah State Aggies, winning 80-68 with Aztec legend Kawhi Leonard in attendance.

Leonard became the first player to ever get their jersey retired in the rafters of Viejas Arena at halftime. Former Aztecs coach Steve Fisher announced him onto the floor and the entire sold out arena honoring Leonard.

Although it was a huge accomplishment for the San Diego State program as a whole and a moment that will go down in Aztecs history, the undefeated Aztecs trailed at the half for just the third time the entire season.

The Aggies, who led by eight at the half, were not given a very good chance after being beaten at home by the Aztecs earlier in the season.

However, Utah State put up run after run in an attempted upset on Kawhi Leonard Night, led by Sam Merrill and Brock Miller.

Merrill scored 16 points with 12 assists and five rebounds. Miller scored 15 points.

The Aztecs, on the other hand, were led by Malachi Flynn, KJ Feagin, and most of all Matt Mitchell.

Flynn scored 15 points with seven assists and six rebounds. Feagin scored 15 points with four assists and four rebounds. Mitchell scored 28 points and four rebounds.

Mitchell is the reason the Aztecs won the game, keeping them in it when they were down by double-digits and hitting the most clutch shots. The undefeated Aztecs improved their record to 23-0.

A huge part of the win for the Aztecs was their depth and Yanni Wetzell’s ability to shut down Neemias Queta of the Aggies. Queta scored 15 points with 14 rebounds in the first matchup between the two teams, but was held to just eight points in Saturday night’s game by Yanni Wetzell.

Many teams have failed to defend against the Aztecs this season due to their seemingly unlimited amount of weapons. There seems to be a new player that steps up every game for the Aztecs which makes it very hard for opposing teams to gameplan and know what to expect against San Diego State.

Earlier in the season, Malachi Flynn led the Aztecs in points game in and game out and was their best offensive weapon. However, in the past few games for the Aztecs, Flynn has been double covered and heavily pressured all game, allowing his elite passing skills and basketball IQ to take over.

The 12-point Aztecs victory was another example. He picked up six assists and seven rebounds along with his usual 15 points.

The Aztecs will next face the Air Force Falcons Feb. 8 at 5 p.m. PT in Colorado Springs, Colorado.