The Clairemont Times: SDSU Defeats USD in a Hostile Environment

It was a packed house at the Jenny Craig Pavilion on Thursday, November 31^st for the college basketball game between the University of San Diego and San Diego State.

The USD students came out in full force to watch their team take on the mighty Aztecs. Holding Ron Burgundy and Nicholas Cage fat heads and screaming all game long, the student section was rowdy from the beginning.

Entering the game, the Toreros were attempting to win their sixth game in a row, while the Aztecs were looking to rebound after a loss to Washington State.

From the tip, SDSU point guard Devin Watson controlled the pace of the game.  

He was relentless, attacking the paint at will as well as shooting from the outside.

After a couple of early layups by Watson, the quick point guard then hit a 3-pointer with 10:32 remaining in the first half to put SDSU ahead 16-8.

Around this time period, SDSU Coach Brian Dutcher elected to go zone, and it made a big difference. The Aztec’s length clearly bothered the shooters and inside players of USD.

Because SDSU is so long, there was simply not a lot of space to attack the zone.

However, Isaiah Pineiro managed to find some shooting space in the zone and hit a crucial jump shot while getting fouled for USD to make it 19-11 Aztecs after the made free throw.

Watson, along with SDSU small forward Matt Mitchell, continued to dominate in the first half. After multiple transition scores, the Aztecs led 27-17 with 3:16 remaining in the first half.

USD somehow quieted the storm and at the half, SDSU led 30-22. USD shot just 2 for 15 from 3-point range, while SDSU made 3 for 7 from beyond the arc.

Watson was leading the way with 14 points, while Pineiro had nine points for USD.

As much as the atmosphere was great in the first half, the biggest applause of the entire night actually came during the halftime show when the “Red Panda” Acrobat performed some tricks on her unicycle.

Balancing with one foot on the unicycle and with multiple bowls on her other foot, the Red Panda managed to flip all of the bowls on top of her head.

The place went absolutely nuts.

For the first time all night, SDSU and USD fans erupted as one. Even the media personnel were locked in on the performance. It was a sight to see and hilarious to witness.

After the Red Panda hyped up the crowd, both teams were ready to resume play for the second half.

USD started off the second half with aggression, scoring five points in its first two possessions, closing the gap to 32-27.

In addition, just like how SDSU went zone in the first half, USD decided to give it a try as well.

USD’s defense started to create some offense. After back-to-back steals and scores for USD, the Toreros still trailed SDSU 36-32 with 16:00 remaining in the game.

In addition, SDSU big man Malik Pope started to come alive defensively. After hurting his foot in the previous game against Washington State, Pope did not have many touches in this game. However, his length posed problems for USD on the defensive end of the court.

Pope had one of his four blocks midway through the second half. The big man then had a boisterous dunk a couple of possessions later, giving SDSU a 47-36 lead with 11:50 remaining.

Feeling a momentum change, Dutcher intelligently kept the pressure on USD with a 3/4 zone press. Although USD did not turn the ball over, the press slowed down the pace and made USD work just to get the ball over the half court line.

The defensive change took USD out of its rhythm offensively.

As the second half developed, SDSU began to slowly pull away in the game.

USD tried to press late, but Watson impressively beat the attempted traps single-handedly and knocked down free throw after free throw to seal the game.

As it became clear that the Aztecs would win, the classy fans of SDSU started chanting “little sister” to the USD fans.

In a rowdy environment, SDSU beat USD on the Toreros’ home court 66-57, giving USD its first loss of the year.

Watson finished with 26 points, shooting 10 for 11 from the free throw line. Mitchell scored 13 points and Pope added six points, nine rebounds and four blocks. Starting guard Trey Kell did not play in this game due to an ankle injury.

For USD, Pineiro led the way with 19 points on 8-of-18 shooting.

Before USD left the court, head coach Lamont Smith took the gym microphone and, in a classy act, thanked the students for coming to the game. He then told the college kids that his team needed them this year and promised that his team will play better in the future.

Up Next

SDSU vs California (12/9)

USD vs Northern Arizona (12/9)