AAfter sitting through most of the lopsided affair, the Viejas Arena crowd rose to their feet with 44 seconds remaining. The Aztec nation wanted 100 points.

Fifteen seconds later, there was an audible groan from the crowd after Desai Lopez’s layup failed to find the back of the net. When Demarshay Johnson touched down Lopez’s deflected attempt to push SDSU’s total to three figures, the ensuing roar approximated the initial response to a buzzer-beater, but without prolonged jubilation.

“I was looking at the old scores with (Western) and I scored in the mid-90s the last three or four games against them,” head coach Brian Dutcher joked after the game. “I told them if we get to 100 I’ll come on. I hadn’t played since high school. But I didn’t have enough time. I didn’t get there until 25 seconds later.

Occidental was a charter member of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in 1915, and SDSU joined 11 years later in 1926. The programs’ first meeting was a two-game series in Los Angeles on January 21 and 22, 1927.

Oxy won both by a combined three points. The Aztecs’ total on Tuesday was more than the combined scores of those contests. The inaugural match went into overtime. The teams were tied at 20 at the end of regulation. The Tigers eventually won 24-22.

The following season, the programs met in San Diego. According to the 1928 Del Sudoeste yearbook, the Aztecs led at the half 10-8. Occidental went on a 12-0 run in the second half after James Hildreth picked up his fourth foul and had to leave the game. Foreshadowing the positionless modern Aztecs, Hildreth has been billed as a “guard and forward” who puts his “heart and soul into the game at all times.”

The Tigers won the SCIAC title that year with an 8-1 record. SDSU finished last at 2-6. According to Del Sudoeste, the team’s poor performance under head coach Tom McMullen was due to a lack of returning letterwinners and he began practice in December, just two weeks before the season opener against Occidental.

“An additional handicap was the need to practice whenever and wherever a field could be obtained, as floor space was at a premium in San Diego throughout the season,” the yearbook concluded in its season introduction.

Ninety-seven years later, Wayne McKinney III’s experience as an SDSU basketball player is different from Hildreth’s. Instead of searching for available space to practice, McKinney III has 24-hour access to the JAM Center.

“It’s helped me a lot,” McKinney said when asked about JAM’s impact on his game. “I go in there every day. It’s been a blessing to have a no-holds-barred practice center and have people come for me, everyone being there for me, to work with every day. It’s something every basketball player should ask for, and it’s beautiful.”

What does winning mean?

On the season, the win over Occidental means the wait is over. SDSU hosts Gonzaga on Monday. One of the most anticipated non-conference contests in program history is next.

Anticipation for the Zags’ trip to Viejas Arena has been building since the home-and-home series was announced. After the Aztecs went to The Kennel last year and beat the Bulldogs 84-74, GU definitely got revenge.

Judging by the game, SDSU will be without Miles Byrd on Monday. He was in boots and crutches. The Aztecs hope Byrd will be available.

The main goal is to walk away from a game like Occidental without injuries. SDSU realized that on Tuesday, as Byrd’s ankle injury occurred in practice. There were other benefits as well.

Dutcher said the Aztecs pressed for much of the game because they are not efficient in this game yet. Magoon Gwath mentioned that boxing better on long rebounds is a lesson he took from the contest.

“It’s a good game because when you have all the new guys that we’re playing, it’s just another opportunity for a dress rehearsal,” Dutcher explained. “I felt comfortable that we were going to win the game, and that’s no disrespect to Occidental. We have a high-level Division 1 program, and they’re moving up a weight class. They lead good things. They run the Princeton offense. They are well coached and play hard. … Anything you can get with a game situation in front of a crowd is a good thing to prepare for going forward.”

Player of the Game: Magoon Gwath

The outcome of Tuesday’s game was never in doubt. The only real question was whether the Aztecs would come out slow against an overmatched opponent. That was answered 39 seconds into the contest when Viejas PA announcer Daren Sparks shouted “Gwath with the block” for the first time.

Sparks would shout that twice more in the next 2:27. The Aztecs opened the game 18-0 before Occidental’s first basket. Between the defensive superlatives, Gwath put on a more impressive offensive display.

He made the first of SDSU’s 18 3-pointers on the night. McKinney III jumped on a pass to Gwath, who, at his height, is almost always open for a catch-and-shoot three. Two possessions later, after a BJ Davis steal sparked a fast break opportunity for Nick Boyd, Gwath drove in another three. Seeing a guard hunt down a shot for a center on the wing is the creation of modern basketball.

After the Tigers’ first score, Gwath answered with a traditional low pole vault hook. During that eight-point outburst, he showcased his offensive versatility. The redshirt freshman was one of three Aztecs to lead the team with 16 on the night. He said securing more rebounds was the area he was most focused on improving.

“Just be a better defender, sit down (in a defensive position) more,” Dutcher said when asked what he wants to see from Gwath. “I think we’ve learned that if we play him in four- or five-minute stretches, then we probably need to rest him. I don’t think right now, as a freshman in his first year of competition, we think he can run ten or twelve straight minutes out there. It gets tiring because he’s chasing all over the floor at 7 feet.”

Unsung Hero: Jared Coleman-Jones

SDSU had athletic big men who could move. It’s hard to think of one who could top Jared Coleman-Jones’ skills (not efficiency) as a perimeter player. Jaedon LeDee, Malcolm Thomas and Marcus Slaughter have been more than comfortable outside, but Coleman-Jones looks like a guard when he dribbles in warmups and drives through layup lanes.

On Tuesday, Dutcher didn’t play a small lineup until the end to get the last entry time on the field. More than ever, SDSU is asking its bigs to compete on the perimeter. The Aztecs are fortunate to have Coleman-Jones transferred to the program as he has developed the skills needed to fill that role and is teaching them to his younger teammates.

“In practice, he tries to lead us, get us on the right path,” Gwath said of Coleman-Jones. “He leads by example. He goes hard every day and tries to lead the younger guys, like give little teaching points, stuff like that. We’re just trying to look at him as a leader and learn from him as a veteran.”

Dutcher played Coleman-Jones at power forward, forcing him to defend more on the wing. Against UCSD he played center. Coleman-Jones benefited from the change. He moved his feet better sitting in a defensive stance than going over a guard coming down from a ball screen. The move also allowed Gwath’s shot-blocking ability to be showcased more.

Quick break:

• BJ Davis’ athleticism is great. He put on a warm-up dunk show with a windmill dunk and a between-the-leg color.
• Davis has yet to bring that out in a game, but he does a very good job of using the rim to screen blockers on layups.
• Kimo Ferrari may be working his way into a role. He is an energy player and has increased SDSU’s intensity every time he has entered.
• Ferrari is also a very intelligent player. He was instrumental in coaching the team in Occidental’s zone attack.
• SDSU got within 84 points with 10:53 left. Amazingly, it barely made it to the century mark.
• The Aztecs are 93-11 under Brian Dutcher against unranked opponents. This level of consistency is the difference between good and great programs.
• Wayne McKinney III looked more comfortable at point guard. Working with Nick Boyd at guard might be a better fit for the team. Dutcher said McKinney III is still learning the plays.
• Offensive rebounding is what Dutcher would like to see Taj DeGourville improve on.

My earliest sports memory involves going to Murph’s, running down the circular exit ramps, and watching the Padres, Chargers, and Aztecs play. As a second generation Aztec, I am passionate about all things SDSU. Other interests include raising my four children, being a great husband, and teaching high school.

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