By: Jason Testa, Contributor

The San Diego State Aztecs (12–2 Mountain West, 18–6 overall) hosted the Grand Canyon Antelopes (9–5, 16–9 overall) at Viejas Arena on Tuesday night. The two squads met earlier this month in a thriller that came down to the final seconds, with the Antelopes escaping with a narrow home victory. This time, the Aztecs entered with revenge on their minds as they look to make a late-season push and solidify their position in the NCAA Tournament conversation.

BJ Davis, the 6-foot-2 sophomore guard known for his shifty handle and ability to create space, opened the scoring for the Aztecs with a physical elbow jumper. Moments later, he knocked down another mid-range shot, setting the tone early with confident offensive execution.

Grand Canyon responded through 7-foot-1, 240-pound Turkish freshman Efe Demirel, who converted a layup inside before finishing through contact on the next possession down for an athletic 3 point play.

Junior guard Dusty Stromer added to the Antelopes total hitting two straight free throws then proceeded to knock down a deep three from the wing, stretching the lead to 11–6 with 12:20 left in the first half.

Jaden Henley, the 6-foot-7 senior guard for GCU, banked in a transition three, then followed it with a flashy fast-break finish to extend the Antelopes’ run.

SDSU answered through Miles Heide, who weathered the storm converting five straight points of his own, including a strong finish through contact for an and-one to halt the momentum.

Miles Byrd knocked down a top-of-the-key three to cut the deficit to 23–18 with 6:45 remaining. He followed it with a fadeaway turnaround jumper, then hustled for a steal and fed Sean Newman Jr. for an easy two, keeping the Aztecs within striking distance.

Freshman Tae Simmons capped the half with a thunderous dunk, helping the Aztecs cut the deficit and send the teams to the locker room with Grand Canyon holding a slim four-point lead.

After a quiet stretch, Miles Byrd jump-started the Aztecs with a three-pointer, followed by a clutch-and-one that fueled a brief SDSU run. 

Grand Canyon’s Makaih Williams quickly answered with a top-of-the-key three, pushing the score to 46–41 with 12 minutes left. Williams’ running mate Jaden Henley continued his hot hand, finishing a tough layup inside to keep the Antelopes ahead. 

Byrd continued to attack, draining a corner three and a step-back jumper in an effort to keep SDSU within reach. Yet, every Aztec run was met with a timely response from the Antelopes, and in the end, Grand Canyon’s consistency proved too much to overcome. 

The Antelopes escaped San Diego with a 73-63 victory as SDSU now turns its attention towards Colorado State on the road, as they look to gain a big win in the Mountain West this Saturday.