San Diego State and BYU played a thriller at Viejas Arena on Friday night, with the Aztecs edging past the Cougars 82-75 in the team's second straight win to begin non-conference play.
The Aztecs trailed 67-61 with 6:49 remaining, before outscoring the Cougars 21-8 to finish the game. Aztecs forward Jaedon LeDee scored a game-high 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting, while Nathan Mensah collected 14 points and 10 rebounds. Darrion Trammell scored 21 points, including a trio of three-pointers. Trammell scored 16 points and made both of his three-point attempts in in the second half.
The Cougars got off to a quick start, going on an 8-0 run to take a 16-8 lead at the game's first media timeout. The Aztecs responded with a 10-0 run to even the score at 18-18 at the 12-minute mark of the opening half. The Cougars led 40-36 at halftime while shooting 50% from the floor. The Aztecs shot 35% as a group in the first half, and finished the game at 40%.
In the second half, the Aztecs trailed by as many as 10 points. The Aztecs took their first lead of the half on Darrion Trammel's jumper to make it a 61-60 lead with 8:23 remaining. The Cougars responded with seven straight points, all scored by BYU guard Spencer Johnson. San Diego State proceeded to surge ahead 69-68 with an 8-1 run, and never trailed again.
San Diego State's win was also highlighted by the Aztecs' ability to force turnovers and get to the free throw line. BYU committed 20 turnovers, while the Aztecs shot 70% on 37 total free throw attempts. The Cougars went 10-of-16 at the foul line.
The Aztecs return to action on Tuesday evening at Stanford. Opening tip is at 6 p.m.
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