The Aztecs have been infuriatingly incapable of putting teams away this year. They'll get big leads then let the opponents make it close in the end.
Well, actually ... that's kind of the glass-half-empty way of looking at it. The positive takeaway is this: The Aztecs win a lot of really close games.
That’s what they did on Saturday night against Air Force at Viejas Arena. SDSU won 70-61 but they followed a familiar pattern in doing so.
They had a double-digit lead in the second half and almost gave it all away. Dakari Allen hit a 3-pointer to put the Aztecs up 50-39, part of a 12-4 San Diego State run that seemed to give them control of the Falcons (who came in with a losing record).
But Air Force countered with a 13-4 run and when guard Jacob Van dropped in two of his 17 points the Aztecs lead was cut to 54-52. Who came on to save the day?
The San Diego kid, of course. St. Augustine High alum Trey Kell is becoming the guy SDSU looks to for big baskets. Kell nailed a pair of 3-pointers to give the Aztecs a cushion that, this time, they didn’t let get away. Kell finished with a team-high 16 points.
One positive sign for the Aztecs was the arrival of another local product. La Costa Canyon High alum Matt Shrigley is working his way back in to playing shape after missing most of the season recovering from a torn ACL. He missed his first 14 shots of the season, but opened up against Air Force making four straight 3-pointers. Shrigley finished with 12 points.
Finally, here’s a fun little statistical anomaly: Air Force only shot two free throws. For the whole game! Forward Hayden Graham made one of two in the second half. The Aztecs were only called for 11 total fouls and only one of them was in the act of shooting (in case you’re curious, SDSU took 19 foul shots, making 12 of them).
San Diego State gets eight days to prepare for their road trip to San Jose State on Sunday, February 21.
