Dallin Hall scored 16 of his team-high 18 points in the second half to lead BYU to a 74-65 win over No. 17 San Diego State on Friday night in Provo, Utah.
Jaedon LeDee led all scorers with 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the Aztecs’ first loss since the 2023 NCAA championship game.
Fousseyni Traore, Richie Saunders and Jaxson Robinson each scored 12 points to help BYU (2-0) improve to 31-4 all-time against San Diego State (1-1) in the Marriott Center.
Traore added eight rebounds and four assists, while Spencer Johnson chipped in with 10 points and seven boards for the first-year Big 12 team.
BYU pulled away in the final minutes and won despite only shooting 42.6 percent compared to the Aztecs’ 44.8. The Cougars won the rebounding battle 42-32.
Reese Waters was the only other San Diego State player in double figures with 15 points.
Both teams took turns leading in the first half, with BYU going into the break up 33-28 after a late putback by Traore.
San Diego State used a 7-2 surge to tie the score at 35-35 on a Reese Waters 3-pointer.
The Aztecs took their biggest lead of the second half, 46-42, after a LeDee jumper and dunk by Waters with 12:13 remaining.
BYU regained its lead, 51-50, with 8:07 left thanks to a 3-pointer by Hall. The Cougars continued on a 9-0 run as Hall and Trevino Knell drained back-to-back 3s.
Micah Parrish kept the Aztecs in it with consecutive baskets, trimming BYU’s lead to 57-55 with 4:45 to go. Hall then scored four points in a 6-0 run as the Cougars went up by eight, and BYU held on for an early nonconference win against their longtime rivals.
The Aztecs pounced early to go up 7-0 after a LeDee jumper, a Lamont Butler 3 and free throws by Waters.
BYU finally got on the scoreboard when Johnson drained a 3-pointer at the 17:34 mark.
Robinson banked in a 3-pointer to give BYU its first lead midway through the first half, 17-15.
Robinson scored seven straight and Trey Stewart capped a 10-point run for the Cougars, who took a 29-20 lead.
–Field Level Media