Bring on the regular season.
Brian Dutcher’s San Diego State Aztecs blew open a close game early in the second half and routed Long Beach State 92-67 Wednesday night at Viejas Arena in their third and final exhibition game.
After losing by double digits to Top 25 teams Arizona and Southern Cal, the Aztecs easily handed a shorthanded 49ers squad that finished 10-22 last season and was playing its first and only exhibition game.
Now comes an important season for the Aztecs. They’ve moved from the Mountain West into the new-look Pac-12 Conference, and they’ll be looking to rebound from perhaps the most disappointing season in school history, when they had huge expectations only to miss the NCAA Tournament for the first time in six seasons.
Below is a look at three key takeaways for San Diego State after beating Long Beach State in its final tuneup for the regular season:
Balanced scoring powers San Diego State’s offense
The Aztecs had six players score in double figures, led by Latrell Davis with 14 points and Elzie Harrington 13. Jeremiah “Bear” Cherry, Luka Skoric and Chance Gladden had 11 points each, while Isaiah Sy had 10.
The Aztecs took a 45-38 halftime lead on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Gladden, his third of the half.
They then used a 6-0 opening spurt that was part of a 13-4 run to go up 58-42.
Brian Dutcher makes changes to starting lineup
Dutcher tweaked his lineup a bit after going with the same lineup for the first two games.
Guards Gladden and Harrington made their third straight starts, while Davis started in place of Sy, who had started the first two exhibitions. Forwards Tae Simmons and Cherry also started for the third straight game.
Aztecs dominate the glass but turnovers remain a concern
After committing 20 turnovers in a loss to USC last week, the Aztecs were still careless with the ball in committing 16 that led to 19 points for the 49ers.
The Aztecs outrebounded the 49ers 42-22 and also outscored LBSU 42-22 in the paint.
SDSU shot 55.9% from the field, including 40% from the 3-point line, while holding the 49ers to 37.9% overall.
Up next for San Diego State
The regular season starts Tuesday night at Viejas Arena against Fullerton State. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. and the game will be carried on Pac-12 YouTube and San Diego Sports 760 radio.
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