SDSU MEN'S BASKETBALL CRUISES PAST CSUSM IN EXHIBITION

Aztecs close exhibition season with victory

Source: goaztecs.com press release

November 7, 2016 (San Diego) - San Diego State cruised past Cal State San Marcos on Monday night, 80-42, inside Viejas Arena. The game was the final tune-up for the Aztecs, who officially open the 2016-17 campaign on Friday.

The Cougars scored the first basket of the game and it would be their only lead of the night. SDSU answered the early punch with 17 unanswered points on the strength of a 6-for-8 field-goal shooting. While the Aztecs were scoring at will, their defense held their end of the bargain by forcing CSUSM into seven straight misses during the run.

San Diego State recorded another 17-0 scoring adventure near the end of the first half, which gave them a 38-12 lead. The Aztecs eventually went into the locker room ahead, 38-17, with Trey Kell nearly matching the Cougars scoring output with 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting.

In the second half, SDSU was not threatened. The Aztecs 51.5 percent and held Cal State San Marcos to less than 25 percent from the floor (.235). Jeremy Hemsley reached double figures in scoring with nine second-half points to finish with 13. Sophomore classmate Montaque Gill-Caesar also scored nine points in the final 20 minutes to end with 12 for the night.

Two of San Diego State’s frontcourt players, Nolan Narain and Zylan Cheatham, enjoyed nice rebounding efforts, grabbing 12 and 9, respectively. Their performance helped the Aztecs outrebound the Cougars, 51-41.

At the final horn, SDSU turned in a shooting percentage of 46.2, while holding CSUSM to 20.6-percent accuracy. The Aztecs enjoyed big advantages in points in the paint (40-10), points off turnovers (30-4), fastbreak points (20-0) and bench points (32-13).

San Diego State will open the season on Friday when cross-town foe San Diego visits Viejas Arena. Game time is scheduled for 8 p.m. PT and the contest will air live on ESPNU and WatchESPN.

Postgame quotes