san diego state basketball: Aztecs get chance for payback after controversial loss at Grand Canyon
San Diego State will host Grand Canyon at Viejas Arena on Tuesday night (ET), a rematch colored by the chaos of a 70-69 defeat in Phoenix that ended on a contentious whistle. The Aztecs have replayed the final seconds, drilled on positioning and drilled into the team a simple message: learn from the closing sequence and let the result fuel execution rather than emotion.
Film of the finish fuels a lesson, not vengeance
Coach Brian Dutcher showed the squad the clip of Antelopes guard Makaih Williams slicing toward the rim and having his shot swatted by Miles Byrd — only for an official to blow the whistle and rule a baseline foul on freshman Tae Simmons with 1. 8 seconds left. That sequence, and BJ Davis’ earlier front end miss of a one-and-one with 7. 7 seconds remaining, produced a finish that still stings.
But Dutcher framed the play as a teaching moment. When a ballhandler is sprinting the length of the floor for a last-second attempt, defenders should funnel him to the middle rather than allowing him down the sideline where angles favor the shooter. The video was meant to sharpen decision-making in crunch moments, not simply to stoke revenge.
Players acknowledged the emotional weight. Guard Taj DeGourville said the loss still hurts but shifted quickly to a competitive mindset: "We can't think that we got robbed, but we're going to have to take it back. " Reese Dixon-Waters added that the team felt they had the game won, underlining the Aztecs' desire to settle unfinished business on the scoreboard.
What went wrong — and what to watch in the rematch
The January meeting is remembered for two pivotal events: Davis’ rare free-throw miss and an official, Jeffrey Anderson, stepping through traffic to call a late foul. Less recalled is that Grand Canyon carried a 12-point lead midway through the second half before SDSU rallied to take the lead on Simmons’ tip-in with 58 seconds to play. The trajectory of that game — a big deficit erased, a lead seized, then a heartbreaking finish — frames how both teams will approach this return engagement.
For the Aztecs, the keys are simple and specific: clean execution at the line, tighter sideline defense in transition and disciplined help-side positioning to avoid late whistles that decide games. Davis’ missed front end unnerved him for weeks and produced a small slump, illustrating how single plays can ripple through a season. The coaching staff wants composure, not raw emotion.
Grand Canyon arrives with clear strengths. The Antelopes have added transfers with significant profiles, have played in three straight NCAA Tournaments and boast a roster that ranks among the nation’s leaders in experience and size. They’re the only Mountain West team to beat both San Diego State and Utah State this season, and their financial investment in basketball has helped assemble a deep, seasoned roster.
Stakes and atmosphere at Viejas Arena
The matchup has league implications. The Aztecs sit at 12-2 in Mountain West play and have circled this contest — and the upcoming date with Utah State — as opportunities to reinforce their standing. Dutcher summed it up plainly: "Payback games. We'll see if we can get payback or not. It's easy to say, hard to do. "
Expect a charged environment at Viejas Arena (ET), with the Aztecs leaning on home-court energy to flip the script. Fundamentally, this is a game about control: control over fouls at the end of games, control over composure at the free-throw line and control over the little details that decide tight finishes. If San Diego State executes those elements, the narrative that followed the Phoenix loss can be rewritten on the hardwood Tuesday night.
