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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.”
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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.
Four suspects were behind bars Friday for allegedly beating a man to death two months ago during a fight at Linda Vista Park.
Arrested Wednesday on suspicion of murder in connection with the violent death of 59-year-old Ruben Rimorin were Juan Garcia Alavez, 21, Juan Manuel Lopez, 26, Brian Reyes, 20, and Franklin Joseph Tuell, 21, according to the San Diego Police Department.
Rimorin was found gravely injured about 3:45 a.m. Oct. 18 on a sidewalk in the 6800 block of Osler Street, just west of the park, SDPD Lt. Chris Tivanian said. Paramedics tried in vain to revive the victim before pronouncing him dead at the scene.
It remains unclear what sparked the deadly fight.
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The suspects were being held at San Diego Central Jail without bail pending arraignment, scheduled for Friday afternoon.
National City’s Pepper Park can soon expand in size by nearly 50%, thanks to a ruling this week by the California Coastal Commission to approve the National City Balanced Plan.
The approval of the plan at the CCC’s Wednesday meeting, developed by the Port of San Diego, means that not only will the popular park have the ability to increase in size, big changes are coming for commercial, recreation and maritime uses on the National City bayfront.
“We are grateful to the California Coastal Commission for its support of the National City Balanced Plan,” said Danielle Moore, chair of the Board of Port Commissioners. “The progress we have made has been anchored in tireless collaboration with the community, business leaders and, of course, the city of National City. It’s about bringing more recreational opportunities to the bayfront while also streamlining and strengthening maritime operations, and we are eager to bring these projects to life.”
Other components of the balanced plan include:
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Realigning Marina Way to serve as the buffer area between commercial recreation and maritime uses
The closure of Tidelands Avenue between Bay Marina Drive and West 32nd Street, and West 28th Street between Tidelands Avenue and Quay Avenue, around six acres, to increase terminal efficiency by eliminating redundancies
The development of a recreational vehicle park, tent sites, cabins and the “ultimate development of up to two hotels with up to 365 rooms, as well as dry boat storage,” a port statement read
A connector rail project to connect the existing rail and loop track located on the National City Marine Terminal to additional rail car storage spots at the existing Burlington Northern Santa Fe National City Yard east of the National Distribution Center
The Board of Port Commissioners must accept the CCC’s certification, then the port and city can begin the process of completing the above projects.
“I am proud of the work we have done to help create a lasting legacy for National City, the Port of San Diego, and the entire region,” said Port Commissioner GilAnthony Ungab. “Nearly a decade in the making, this plan balances the interests of the community and many other stakeholders, addresses public access, maritime, and recreation uses, and expands waterfront access in my community.”
The National City Bayfront is 273 acres of waterfront land and 167 acres of water, and includes the National City Marine Terminal, Pepper Park, Pier 32 Marina, the Aquatic Center and pieces of public art.
Mayor Todd Gloria announced an initiative Wednesday intended to expand housing options in neighborhoods by integrating small-scale residences such as townhomes, rowhomes and cottages into an area’s existing character.
The Neighborhood Homes for All of Us initiative is also intended to support community land trusts — nonprofit organizations that acquire land to create permanent affordable housing.
“Since Day 1 of my administration, I have been focused on building more homes that San Diegans can actually afford — and getting them built faster,” Gloria said at a news conference Wednesday. “‘Neighborhood Homes for All of Us’ is the latest piece of that puzzle. This innovative program will break down the barriers that have gotten in the way of building the type of housing that I believe is ideal for young families and first-time homebuyers for whom the dream of homeownership has long felt out of reach.”
Around 80% of land zoned for housing in the city is restricted to single-family homes, which continue to increase in price, Gloria said. And a significant portion of new housing being built consists of apartment buildings with primarily studio and one-bedroom units, leaving working-class families fewer and fewer options for homes.
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Neighborhood Homes for All of Us is intended to increase the housing supply and allow community land trusts to keep housing affordable in disadvantaged communities for low- to middle-income families.
“San Diego is an incredible place to raise a family, and more families need the opportunity to do that in San Diego’s existing, highly desirable single-family neighborhoods where their kids can learn and play in a great community,” City Planning Director Heidi Vonblum said. “But today, that comes at a price that is out of reach for too many. Integrating more options for families requires careful and thoughtful planning, with input from existing and future community members across the city, to ensure these new home opportunities for San Diego’s families are built in ways that best enhance and benefit San Diego’s amazing neighborhoods.”
The initiative will roll out in two phases. In the first phase, beginning this week and continuing through next summer, San Diegans can help determine what the neighborhoods can look like. The public will be able to see renderings showing small-scale neighborhood homes within San Diego’s existing communities, along with new regulations that “provide a clear pathway for building these homes,” according to a statement from Gloria’s office.
Phase 1 will also include an open house and ways for the community to provide feedback and concerns.
Phase 2, scheduled for the second half of 2026, will be for city staff to develop regulations allowing for the building of more neighborhood homes in a way informed by the public feedback.
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The initiative is partly funded through a Regional Early Action Planning grant from the San Diego Association of Governments.
