by Jason Testa

The San Diego State Aztecs have opened their young season with a 2-0 record and looked to continue their early-season momentum as they faced the Troy Trojans at Viejas Arena. The Trojans entered the matchup at 3-2, hoping to earn a key road win against an Aztecs squad aiming to improve to 3-0 for the fourth time in head coach Brian Dutcher’s nine seasons at the helm. 

The experienced 6-foot-7 junior forward Victor Valdes opened the game for the Trojans by knocking down a three-pointer, followed by a strong floater from sophomore guard Cooper Campbell, who entered the contest averaging 15.8 points per game.

The Aztecs started cold, missing their first four shots before Pharoah Compton ended the drought with an offensive putback. Reigning Mountain West Freshman and Defensive Player of the Year Magoon Gwath made an instant impact in his season debut for the Aztecs, slamming down a lob from Miles Byrd.

The Trojans didn’t back down in the slightest. Junior forward Thomas Dowd, who averages 14.2 points per game, quickly made his presence felt with a tough layup at the rim, then followed it with a full-court pass to Victor Valdes for a fast-break finish. On the next possession, Valdes connected with Campbell for a deep three-pointer, allowing Troy to jump out to a 14–2 start with 15:53 remaining in the first half.

The anchor of the Aztecs’ defense, 6-foot-9 junior Miles Heide, grabbed five rebounds and scored back-to-back layups to keep his team within striking distance. The story of the opening five minutes, however, was the physicality of Troy’s defense, as the Trojans picked up five early fouls while setting the tone with their aggressive intensity.

Victor Valdes showcased his scoring touch early, converting a pair of acrobatic layups to reach 11 points, while his frontcourt partner Thomas Dowd added a smooth pull-up jumper and a corner three-pointer to bring his total to eight.

The 6-foot-8 senior transfer from Charlotte, Jeremiah Oden, provided the spark the Aztecs needed, knocking down a three from the top of the key before finding Sean Newman Jr. for a corner triple that cut the Trojan lead to 27–26 with 6:36 remaining in the first half.

Junior guard B.J. Davis made the most of his minutes, coming up with a huge block that ignited the Aztecs’ offense. The play led to a difficult reverse finish by senior guard Reese Dixon-Waters, who added a soft touch off the glass to get it in the net. Davis then calmly knocked down three straight free throws to give San Diego State its first lead of the night, 36–33, with 1:30 remaining in the first half.

Cobi Campbell didn’t shy away from the moment. With the Trojans’ offense running through him, he silenced the Aztecs’ surge by drilling a deep three-pointer as the shot clock expired.

Magoon Gwath answered on the other end, closing the half with a smooth mid-range jumper and a key block on defense to send both teams into the locker room knotted at 38. The Aztecs shot 2-for-6 from beyond the arc, while the Trojans went 5-for-15 from three-point range in a tightly contested first half.

The Trojans came out firing to open the second half, once again powered by their dynamic frontcourt duo of Victor Valdes and Thomas Dowd. Valdes finished back-to-back layups, while Dowd buried a three-pointer as the shot clock expired to extend Troy’s lead. The Aztecs, however, stayed within striking distance thanks to consecutive triples from Miles Byrd and Reese Dixon-Waters, keeping the energy alive for the Aztecs. 

Troy finally broke a scoreless stretch when Cooper Campbell buried a much-needed three-pointer for the Trojans. Miles Byrd immediately responded with a crafty layup and followed it up by taking a charge to fire up the Viejas Arena crowd, pulling the Aztecs within four with 9:20 left. Campbell quickly answered with a slick hesitation crossover that transitioned into a jumper, but B.J. Davis matched him on the other end with a smooth fadeaway from the baseline to keep SDSU close.

Victor Valdes and Thomas Dowd continued to power Troy’s offense down the stretch, combining for 45 points, but Magoon Gwath led a late Aztec rally with an and-one and back-to-back threes to pull within one. Down by three with just 2.7 seconds remaining, Miles Byrd showed why he’s the Mountain West Preseason Player of the Year, drilling a miraculous shot from half court to send the game into overtime causing the crowd to erupt in cheers. 

In a hard fought overtime battle, an offensive foul by Cooper Campbell with 0.8 seconds left sent the game to double overtime. Reese Dixon-Waters put the Aztecs up by four early, but Thomas Dowd continued answering with a clutch three, and Theo Seng followed with a tough post move to put Troy ahead by one with 11.5 seconds remaining. The Aztecs had two chances to win it, but missed both shots, as Troy pulled off a stunning 108–107 upset at Viejas Arena.

The Trojans won the turnover battle, committing just 13 to the Aztecs’ 20. Despite 24 points from Miles Byrd and 20 from Magoon Gwath, San Diego State couldn’t hold off the high scoring Trojans. The Aztecs will look to bounce back from the disappointing loss as they head to Las Vegas for the Players Era Tournament, where they’ll face No. 7 Michigan on November 24.