San Diego State unveiled a Sweet 16 banner Wednesday night at Viejas Arena against a school playing its first game as a full-fledged Division I member.
The Aztecs have some work to do to hang another one.
A year after trailing by 14 inside seven minutes to go and winning on a put-back at the buzzer, SDSU tempted fate and offered UC San Diego an $80,000 payday to play at Viejas Arena. And nearly got burned.
Advertisement
The Tritons led again with seven minutes to go, although this time by only five points, and the Aztecs needed another furious rally after a disjointed opening 33 minutes to win 63-58 before a soldout (and nervous) crowd in Viejas Arena.
“Scheduling is always hard,” coach Brian Dutcher said. “You always think, well, we’re not going to do this again. Then the dates line up, and it’s a good game for both teams, and you do it. They’ve given us great games the last two years. They’ve had a chance to win both, and we found a way to make enough timely plays to get victories.”
Said Tritons guard Tyler McGhie, who had 21 points: “We worked all summer and all fall for this. I think we can compete with anyone. At the end of the day, they put their shorts on just like we do.”
It was the season opener for both teams and preserved several prodigious SDSU streaks: 39 straight wins against the current membership of the Big West, 18 straight in openers against unranked opposition, 15 straight in home openers and 15-0 all-time against the Tritons.
But make no mistake: It was a grind.
Advertisement
The Aztecs managed just 24 points in the first half, flummoxed by a Tritons’ matchup zone. They didn’t dominate the offensive boards like you’d expect against a team that played no one taller than 6-foot-8. They stepped out of bounds with the ball (twice). Coach Brian Dutcher was forced to abandon plans to play two bigs and went with four guards down the stretch.
It took a 12-0 run late to energize the increasingly anxious faithful in Viejas.
“We see it as a league game, honestly,” redshirt sophomore Miles Byrd said. “We came in today and on the whiteboard in the locker room it says, ‘Winning is hard.’ We know that. I was on the bench. I saw the energy UCSD brought last year in their arena. You know they were going to come into this game confident. We prepped hard. We respected them.”
Making his first career start, the 6-7 Byrd had a monster night of stat stuffing: 20 points, eight rebounds, three assists, five steals, four blocks. According to SDSU media relations, that’s only the second time over the last 10 seasons that a Div. I player has had at least 20 points, eight rebounds, five steals and four blocks in a game.
Florida Atlantic transfer Nick Boyd had four turnovers running the point but made the play of the game at the other end, drawing a charge on UCSD’s Chris Howell with 49.9 seconds left in a four-point game.
Advertisement
It capped a dominating defensive stand. UCSD led 50-45, then missed seven of its next nine shots with four turnovers. McGhie was 5 of 5 in the second half … but didn’t score (or take a shot) over the final 9:59.
“It was tough,” McGhie said. “I don’t know, I was trying to get open. … They were throwing different guys on me, so I got worn down a little bit.”
“The momentum in the second half, I feel like it came from our defense,” said Jared Coleman-Jones, SDSU’s lone big on the floor over the closing minutes. “We had to really turn up our defensive intensity. We just had to change the way we played.”
Boyd and BJ Davis each had 11 points, and Coleman-Jones added nine points and nine rebounds as the Aztecs hit the same scoring total as last year against the Tritons.
The Tritons shot 32.8 percent, and that was after being 50 percent overall and 6 of 9 behind the arc in the second half. That tells you how much they struggled in the first half, when they had six shots blocked and shot 18.2 percent.
Advertisement
Even so, they trailed only 24-22 because the Aztecs couldn’t put the ball in the basket, either. A 21-10 lead became a 22-21 deficit with turnovers on their next three possessions, followed by four straight misses, followed by another turnover.
With nine minutes left, the Tritons’ lead was six.
“Well, I liked that a lot better than being down the 14 points with (seven) minutes to go like we were last year,” Dutcher said. “We didn’t have to come from so far behind. It’s a young team, maybe not age-wise but playing together.”
The scariest part: Their next four Div. I games are against No. 6 Gonzaga, which just beat No. 8 Baylor by 38; No. 15 Creighton, which scored 99 in its opener Wednesday; Oregon, which received votes in the Associated Press preseason poll; and another power conference school in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas.
“With what’s around the corner, we wanted to desperately win this game,” Dutcher said. “We’re grateful to get a win. You know what’s ahead.”
Advertisement
Notable
Next up: Div. III Occidental at home on Nov. 12. The game, like Wednesday night’s, will be aired on YurView (Channel 4 on Cox and Spectrum) as well as streamed on the Mountain West Network … Freshman Thokbor Majak did not suit up, a strong indication that he’ll redshirt this season. “I don’t have a problem with it,” he said recently. … The officiating crew: Michael Irving, Randy Richardson and Tommy Nunez.
Aniwanina Tait-Jones, the Big West newcomer of the year last season, finished with 13 points before fouling out. Howell, a Torrey Pines High alum and Saint Mary’s transfer, had nine points in his UCSD debut … Redshirt freshman Magoon Gwath had three early blocks but left in the second half with leg cramps and didn’t return. He finished with one point and one rebound in 23 minutes … The SDSU lineup down the stretch: Boyd, Byrd, Davis, Wayne McKinney and Coleman-Jones. The rotation went 10 deep, although Brown transfer Kimo Ferrari got only two minutes.
San Diego State has received a commitment from Central Michigan quarterback Bert Emanuel Jr., giving the Aztecs a pair of dual-threat transfers to compete for starting quarterback in spring practice.
Michigan transfer quarterback Jayden Denegal signed with the Aztecs following a midweek visit to campus.
The 6-foot-3, 235-pound Emanuel and the 6-5, 235-pound Denegal both have size, speed and strong arms. Both also have two years of eligibility remaining.
“I love competition,” Emanuel said Sunday morning before catching a flight home to Houston. “It brings out the best in people, so I feel like it’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s always good for you. Iron sharpens iron.”
Advertisement
Emanuel and Denegal were among more than two dozen transfers who made recruiting visits to SDSU the past two weeks.
Seventeen of the players have made commitments, including six who visited this weekend.
In addition to Emanuel, SDSU also received commitments from wide receivers Jacob Bostick (Texas A&M) and Trayvon Rudolph (Northern Illinois), defensive lineman Malachi Finau (Hawaii), linebacker Mister Williams (Incarnate Word) and cornerback Kai Rapolla (Cal Poly).
San Diego State has greeted more than two dozen transfer recruits the past two weekends. (Kirk Kenney / San Diego Union-Tribune)
Emanuel said he is impressed with the culture SDSU coach Sean Lewis and his staff are establishing.
“Everyone here is in love with football,” he said. “They aren’t just here for the money. They truly love football and that’s the type of team I want to be a part of. … The energy in the program is great, and I believe in (Lewis’) plan and system to go out there and help us win games.”
Advertisement
SDSU got a glimpse of Emanuel in September, when he subbed for Central Michigan starting quarterback Joe Labas at times against the Aztecs. Emanuel attempted one pass while rushing six times for 32 yards in a 22-21 Chippewas victory.
Emanuel has been most impressive running the ball, carrying 145 times for 844 yards (6.1 ypc) and 12 touchdowns. The highlight was a 2022 game against Buffalo, when he rushed for 293 yards and three touchdowns. Emanuel is 27 of 51 passing for 439 yards and five touchdowns with three interceptions.
Emanuel’s career has been sidetracked by injuries, but he’s healthy now and eager for a fresh start with the Aztecs.
“What I bring to the field is my dual-threat ability,” he said. “I am able to attack the defense through the air and also on the ground with my legs.”
Emanuel views himself as a good fit for the SDSU offense as “a dynamic quarterback here helping us win a lot of games and putting up a lot of points in the near future.”
Advertisement
Emanuel is the son of Bert Emanuel Sr., who was a college quarterback at UCLA and Rice before playing eight seasons in the NFL as a wide receiver.
“It helps a lot being able to sit back and just talk ball with him, any day, all day,” Emanuel said. “I know I can just call him and talk football.”
Among the newcomers joining Emanuel is Rudolph, who collected 151 receptions for 2,032 yards and 10 touchdowns during his time at Northern Illinois. The Huskies just happen to be SDSU’s Week 4 opponent on the 2025 schedule.
Rapolla had 41 tackles this season at Cal Poly, with three fumble recoveries and two interceptions.
Williams, who is the older brother of SDSU safety Prince Williams, had four sacks among 78 tackles this season at Incarnate Word.
Advertisement
SDSU received commitments from Denegal, running back Christian Williams (Coastal Carolina), a Helix High School graduate, and defensive back Dwayne McDougle (Idaho) after midweek visits.
The transfer commitments began pouring in just more than a week ago after SDSU brought in 11 players for visits. Seven players from that group have committed.
The offense added wide receiver Myles Kitt-Denton (Northwestern State), tight ends Jackson Ford (Tulsa) and Seth Adams (Southeastern Louisiana) and offensive lineman Bayo Kannike (Utah Tech).
The defense added edge Niles King (Grand Valley State) and linebacker Tanner Williams (Utah State). Punter Hunter Green (Northern Colorado) also signed.
SDSU had 22 players enter the transfer portal, though two who announced (wide receiver Jordan Napier and linebacker Brady Anderson) have decided to remain with the Aztecs.
Law enforcement at the scene of a fatal shooting in Oak Park, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. Courtesy Onscene.Media
Law enforcement is investigating a fatal shooting that took place Saturday night at an independent living facility in the neighborhood of Oak Park.
Police responded to calls about an assault with a deadly weapon on the 3100 block of 54th St. at around 10:24 p.m. and arrived to find a man with a gunshot wound to his upper torso.
“[There are] several people inside the house that detectives are speaking with,” Lt. Lou Maggi with San Diego Police Department’s Homicide Unit told Onscene.Media.
“About nine people inside the house and then several more people outside.”
Advertisement
He added that investigators do not yet have a description of a suspect, but they do not believe that the shooting was random or that there is any threat to the community at large.
SDPD is asking anybody with any information to call the Homicide Unit at (619) 531-2293, or San Diego Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — At the beginning of December, it was a called a ‘last ditch effort,’ by Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre. On December 17th, Mayor Aguirre left for Washington D.C. to get funding for the Tijuana River sewage crisis.
Saturday, President Biden signed a federal funding bill that will dole out $250 million towards the full repair and expansion of the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant near our southern border. It’s been a long wait for relief for south bay residents — relief from the smell and relief from a federal level.
Back in August, we spoke with Everett Sena who expressed his frustration after living in the area with his wife for more than 40 years.
“We can smell it at night, you can smell it at the wee hours of the morning,” he tells us. “It’s pretty annoying. I mean we’ve dealt with it for years already and I just wish the system would be taken care of because we’ve dealt with it.”
Advertisement
The action taken by the White House comes after Mayor Aguirre told ABC 10News she was going to push for a federal state of emergency while in D.C. and felt optimistic about her conversations with republican congress members.
In an Instagram post, Mayor Aguirre called it a’success.’
The Tijuana sewage crisis has been a decades long issue, 10news has been following along the way.
From county leaders calling for federal help including San Diego County Supervisor, Terra Lawson-Remer. At a presser back in Juneshe doubled down once again.
“We’ve been demanding that the state and federal government take urgent action to clean up the Tijuana sewage crisis and to protect public health.”
Advertisement
And even the younger generation taking a stand, like the Imperial Beach Charter second graders who sent letters to the President.
This, while South Bay residents have been trying their best to adjust to the persistent stench, where they’ve called it terrible.
And while its a step in the right direction, Mayor Aguirre explains the fight is far from over.
“The plant itself is not going to solve the entire crisis. The plant will treat 50 million gallons per day of sewage once it’s completed, which won’t be for another 5 years.”
You can track the progress of the upgrades to the South Bay International Wastewater treatment plant here.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25789444/1258459915.jpg "OpenAI cofounder Ilya Sutskever says the way AI is built is about to change")
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25546252/STK169_Mark_Zuckerburg_CVIRGINIA_D.jpg "Meta asks the US government to block OpenAI’s switch to a for-profit")
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23951353/STK043_VRG_Illo_N_Barclay_3_Meta.jpg "Meta’s Instagram boss: who posted something matters more in the AI age")
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24924653/236780_Google_AntiTrust_Trial_Custom_Art_CVirginia__0003_1.png "Google’s counteroffer to the government trying to break it up is unbundling Android apps")