The San Diego State men’s basketball team pulled off a major upset on Saturday night, defeating No. 13 Gonzaga 84-74. The Aztecs, who entered the game as a 14-point underdog, came out firing and never looked back.
The Aztecs were led by senior guard Devin Watson, who scored a career-high 32 points on 11-of-17 shooting. Watson was also a perfect 9-of-9 from the free throw line and added five assists and four rebounds. Senior forward Malik Pope also had a big night, scoring 22 points and grabbing nine rebounds.
The Aztecs jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, taking a 10-point lead into halftime. They continued to pour it on in the second half, outscoring the Bulldogs by 10 points in the final 20 minutes of play.
The win marks the first time San Diego State has defeated a top-15 team since 2014, when they upset No. 8 Creighton. It’s also the first time the Aztecs have beaten a ranked opponent on the road since 2009.
The victory is a huge boost for San Diego State, who improved to 18-7 overall and 8-4 in the Mountain West Conference. The Aztecs have now won seven of their last eight games and are firmly in the NCAA Tournament picture.
The loss is a major setback for Gonzaga, who dropped to 21-4 overall and 10-2 in the West Coast Conference. The Bulldogs had won eight straight games prior to Saturday’s loss and were hoping to make a statement against San Diego State.
The Aztecs will look to keep their momentum going on Tuesday night when they take on UNLV. Meanwhile, Gonzaga will try to bounce back when they host San Francisco on Thursday night.
