Tag: San Diego State Aztecs

Spartans fall 81-68 in hard fought battle against San Diego State

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San Diego State University guard Elzie Harrington (3) guards SJSU Spartans guard Colby Garland (0) at Provident Credit Union Arena in San Jose Tue Dec 30, 2025 (SJSU Spartans photo)

By Ryan Hannagan

San Jose, Calif–The Spartans (5-7) entered the contest looking to snap a two game losing streak after falling at New Mexico, 88-65, and at home against Stanford, 86-82. San Jose State came in 4-2 on its home floor but winless against teams at .500 or better this season. The Aztecs, now 7-4, were playing their second conference game after opening Mountain West play with a loss to New Mexico.

San Jose State now 5-8 was without Javaughn Hannah, Ben Roseborough and Sadraque Nganga, further testing the Spartans’ depth against a physical Aztecs squad now 8-4 after defeating the Spartans 81-68 at Provident Credit Union on Tuesday night.

Turnovers plagued the Spartans early, allowing San Diego State to capitalize in transition. The Aztecs’ fastbreak offense helped build a double digit lead less than 10 minutes into the game.

San Jose State responded with a strong run midway through the first half, cutting what had been a sizable deficit down to a one possession game in a five minute span. The teams traded baskets down the stretch, though foul trouble emerged as a new concern for the Spartans. San Diego State went 9 of 14 from the free throw line in the opening half.

San Jose State forward Yaphet Moundhi left the game with just under three minutes remaining in the first half and did not return before the break. The Aztecs took a 42-38 lead into halftime.

Moundhi returned to the bench to start the second half but did not re-enter the game. Jermaine Washington opened the half with a 3 pointer to trim the Aztecs’ lead to one, setting the tone for a competitive second period.

Behind a scoring surge from Colby Garland, the Spartans tied the game at 49 with 14:30 remaining and briefly took a 53-51 lead shortly after. The game remained tight for more than 10 minutes, with neither team able to create separation.

That changed when San Diego State went on a key late run, pushing its lead to eight and halting San Jose State’s comeback momentum. The Aztecs maintained control from there, closing out the win.

Garland led a strong second half effort for the Spartans after a quiet opening half. San Jose State also excelled at the free throw line, shooting 94 percent as a team.

Despite the loss, the Spartans showed resilience, limiting turnovers and fouls while executing within their system. The effort, however, was not enough to overcome San Diego State’s late surge.

Cal Bears podcast with Stephen Ruderman: Cal pays visit to Florida State against struggling Seminoles

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Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) hands off to running back Jaivian Thomas (25) in the first half against the San Diego Aztecs at Cal Memorial Stadium in Berkeley on Wed Sep 18, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Stephen:

#1 Cal makes his first visit to Florida State in their first ACC game at Florida State. The Seminoles have lost their last three games while Cal has won their last three games. It is the first meeting between the two teams in history.

#2 This will be Cal’s first visit to Florida since playing Clemson on New Years 1992 at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando on Jan 1, 1992. The last regular season game in Florida for Cal was in Miami on Sep 16, 1989.

#3 Cal is playing in the eastern time zone for the third time in seven seasons under coach Justin Wilcox it was in his coaching debut against North Carolina in 2017 and Notre Dame in 2022.

#4 Florida State has lost it’s last three games most recently last Saturday to Memphis State 20-12. The Seminoles have not executed the offensive plan against Memphis State on their own home field.

#5 Cal on a three game win streak won last Saturday handled San Diego State 31-10 a game you saw at Cal Memorial Stadium in Berkley. Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza threw for 198 yards and two touchdowns in the win.

Join Stephen Ruderman for Cal Bears podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Mendoza and Thomas have big games, as Bears’ offense rushes for 275 yards in 31-10 win over San Diego State

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California Golden Bears defensive back Nohl Williams (3) reacts after making an interception during the second quarter of their game at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024

California Memorial Stadium

Berkeley, California

San Diego State Aztecs 14 (1-2)

California Golden Bears 21 (3-0)

Time: 3:28

Attendance: 35,197

By Stephen Ruderman

BERKELEY–Jaivian Thomas rushed for 169 yards, and the Bears rushed for 275 yards in total, as they beat the San Diego State Aztecs 31-10 in Berkeley to get off to their first 3-0 start since 2019.

Cal returned home after a thrilling 21-14 win in Auburn last Saturday got them off to a 2-0 start. The Bears would welcome in the San Diego State Aztecs of the Mountain West Conference on a cold and foggy Saturday night at Cal Memorial Stadium.

San Diego State came into town 1-1, and just three days after it was announced that they would be joining a resurrected Pac-12 in 2026. The Aztecs, along with Colorado State Buffaloes, the Boise State Broncos and the Fresno State Bulldogs, will join the Oregon State Beavers and the Washington State Cougars, who are the lone two holdovers from the once-great conference.

Anyway, Cal won the opening toss and chose to receive. The Bears’ first two drives were uneventful, as was the Aztecs’ first drive.

San Diego State then gained some momentum and got the ball deep into enemy territory on their second drive. The Aztecs got to 1st and 10 on the Cal 12 and gained a yard on the next two plays.

On 3rd and 9, Aztecs’ quarterback Javance Tupou’ata-Johnson threw a pass intended for wide receiver Luis Brown IV, but it was blocked by Bears’ cornerback Nohl Williams. On 4th and 9, Nick Lopez kicked a field goal from 29 to give the Aztecs a 3-0 lead with 5:44 to go in the first quarter.

The Bears would have a response on their next drive. Cal made some steady gains early on in the drive, as they got to the 50, but lost five yards on a false start. However, Jaivian Thomas then ran along the left sideline for a gain of 37 yards to the Aztecs’ 18.

Thomas gained another 10 yards on the next play, and then quarterback Fernando Mendoza got through the middle and ran it in himself for a touchdown. Ryan Coe kicked the extra point, and the Bears had a 7-3 lead with 2:29 left.

The second quarter was uneventful, and the Aztecs were unable to do anything after they received the ball to start the third quarter.

The Bears made some steady gains in the backfield, and then on 3rd and 1, Thomas rushed through the middle for a gain of 57 yards all the way to the San Diego State 7. Three plays later, Mendoza handed the ball off to Kadarius Calloway, who ran it into the endzone for a touchdown. Coe kicked the extra point, and the Bears extended their lead to 14-3.

The Aztecs were unable to do anything on their next drive, and the Bears got the ball back on their own 10 with 7:07. On a long drive that would last five minutes and 32 seconds, Mendoza threw a pass to tight end Corey Dyches, who ran it in for a touchdown. Coe once again kicked the extra point, and Cal had now opened up their lead to 21-3 with 1:35 remaining.

San Diego State once again came up empty on their next drive, but when they decided to go for it on 4th and 2, Tupou’ata-Johnson was tackled at the Aztecs’ 25, and the Bears took possession of the ball in a great position to further add on to their lead as the game went to the fourth quarter.

The Bears were unable to score a touchdown, and in fact, they ended up losing five yards in total. However, Coe made a 48-yard field goal, and that made it 24-3.

It was 3rd and 4th for the Aztecs on their next drive, as they had the ball at the Cal 40. Tupou’ata-Johnson made a five-yard pass to wide receiver Jordan Napier, who broke through three or four tackles on his 35-yard run to the endzone, and the Aztecs were back on the board for the first time since the first quarter.

It was also San Diego State’s first touchdown of the night. Nick Lopez kicked the extra point, and it was 24-10 with 11:05 to go, which meant that the Aztecs still had a chance.

However, the Bears would put an end to any last hopes San Diego State may have had. On 2nd and 10 at the Bears’ 25, Calloway made an impressive 60-year gain all the way to the Aztecs’ 15. Mendoza then threw a pass to Nyziah Hunter, who caught the ball at the two and ran it in for a touchdown. After the extra point by Coe, it was now 31-10 with 9:52 to go

The Aztecs’ next drive lasted only two plays, as following an immediate first down conversion, a pass by Tupou’ata-Johnson was intercepted by Marcus Harris.

The rest of the game was fairly uneventful, and the Bears won 31-10.

In addition to the strong running game by Cal, Fernando Mendoza had himself another big game, as he threw for 198 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

The Bears are off to their first 3-0 start in five years, and they will now head back to the Deep South, this time to Tallahassee, Florida to take on the 0-3 Florida State Seminoles in what will be their first ACC conference game next Saturday. Kickoff will be at 7 p.m. in Tallahassee, and 4 p.m. back home in Berkeley.

Cal Bears podcast with Stephen Ruderman: Cal rolling face San Diego State Saturday; Question is what Aztec team will Bears be facing?

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Cal Bears wide receiver Nyziah Hunter walks in for a touchdown against the Auburn Tigers in first half action at Jordan Hare Stadium in Auburn on Sat Sep 7, 2024 in week 2 of ACC action (AP News photo)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Stephen Ruderman:

#1 Stephen, Cal got that first chalked off their second win last Saturday and Bears quarterback Fernando Mendoza has been getting a lot of accolades after his performance against the Auburn Tigers.

#2 Mendoza threw for 233 yards and two touchdowns in Cal’s win by a touchdown over one of the best team’s in the ACC Auburn.

#3 Cal’s defense held Auburn to one touchdown at the half the Golden Bears had a 14-7 lead and holding the Tigers to a touchdown in the first half at Auburn was impressive if you consider Auburn crushed Alabama A&M in week one 73-3.

#4 The Tigers quarterback Patrick Thorne had his troubles throwing into traffic and getting picked off for four interceptions. Despite having a huge offensive day the week before against Alabama A&M Thorne voiced his concerns about his ability to avoid the pick off and completing and getting yardage on his passes.

#5 Cal takes on San Diego State on Sat Sep 14th. Which Aztec team will show up the team that handled Texas A&M with kid gloves in week 1, 45-14 or the team that got shut out by Oregon State 21-0 last Saturday in week 2? Cal is on a two game win streak how do you see Fernando Mendoza and the Bears matching up against San Diego State?

Join Stephen Ruderman for the Cal Bears podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Diego State Beats San Jose State 72-64 Thanks To Jaedon Ledee With A Double-Double

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San Jose State Spartans forward Trey Anderson (15) and the Spartans took a tough loss to the San Diego Aztecs in San Diego on Tue Feb 27, 2024 (San Jose State Spartans photo)

Tuesday, February 27th, 2024

By Troy Ewers

The San Jose State Spartans are in San DIego facing the San Diego State Aztecs.  Myron (MJ) Amey Jr., Latrell Davis and Alvaro Cardenas each scored more than 10 points to lead the Spartans (9-19, 2-13 Mountain West) in an 84-63 loss to Nevada (22-6, 9-5 Mountain West) on Friday night.

When the Spartans played San Diego State on Jan. 9, they were down two with a chance to tie the game with three seconds left but Trey Anderson’s layup attempt was blocked by Jay Pal. The Spartans lost the contest by only three, 81-78, against the Aztecs who were ranked 19th in the nation. 

The first half was a back and forth game, but both teams shot under 40% from the field for the majority of the half. At the end of the half it was a low scoring performance where SDSU led 29-22. 

A more eventful second half for the Spartans as the Aztecs held the lead the whole way, but SJSU was able to close the gap at a point in the game. MJ Amey Jr. put up a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, but compared to Jaedon Ledee came through with 27 points and 11 rebounds to defeat the Spartans 72-64.

Alvaro Cardenas who leads the conference in assists only had 2 assists this game and the Spartans only shot two free throws all game (they went 50%). 

The next game for the Spartans is in Las Vegas against UNLV on Saturday, March 2nd. With only 2 games in the season left, it seems like the Spartans season may be over, but they proved tonight this team won’t quit.

Spartans drop their third straight lose San Diego State 81-78 at Provident Credit Union

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By Troy Ewers

Short moment of happiness on the San Jose State Spartans bench as they would later lose to the San Diego State Aztecs in San Jose on Tue Jan 9, 2024 (SJSU Spartans photo)

Tuesday, January 9th, 2024

By Troy Ewers 

SAN JOSE–The San Jose State Spartans host the No. 19 ranked San Diego State Aztecs in a big conference game for the Spartans. The Aztecs are riding a six game winning streak and 13-2 record, both losses coming in away games to unranked teams and San Jose State hopes to be another unranked team to hand San Diego State an L on the season. SJSU hasn’t won a conference game so far and hope they can get the ball rolling against an in-state Conference rival.

A surprising first half as both teams were fighting to get a run started. Each team looked as even as it could be, literally feeling like a heavyweight bout where blows were traded and when it looked like the Aztecs were generating a run, the Spartans stayed in the mix with free throws and threes.

For the opening half Alvaro Cardenas and Trey Anderson led the Spartans in points, Cardenas having 10 and Anderson having 11. On the other side Jaedon Ledee with 14 points and Lamont Butler with 11 points were the point leaders for the Aztecs.

This led to a 42-41 Aztec lead at halftime and in Event Center in front of predominantly San Diego State crowd, the score shocked people where the Spartans had a chance to upset their rivals. 

The second half was no different than the first… a slugfest between two teams trading buckets. Tibet Gorener showing everyone why he’s third all tie in SJSU history in three point shooting as he dropped a couple early ones at the top of the half to tie things up and after SDSU switched to a full court press, the battle became more physical which led to some questionable fouls and some chippiness from both coaches.

A three from Amey Jr. tied it up with four minutes left and when the clock was at a minute and a half left the Spartans were within four points making the game a battle of who can not make a crucial mistake. With 40 seconds the Spartans were now within two points and a shot clock violation on San Diego State created a high pressure last possession for the Spartans.

SJSU had the ball with 13 seconds left and a major opportunity at their hands and Trey Anderson gets blocked. After Lamont Butler went 50% on his free throw attempt giving the Aztecs a three point lead. Spartans miss the buzzer beater and the game ends 81-78 San Diego State winning. 

San Diego State brought a large crowd and their A-game and even though the Spartans brought their A-game, the Aztecs squeaked out the victory. Cardenas led the Spartans with 21 points and didn’t get a double like he did three of the last six games, but walked out with a great showcase.

On the Aztec side, Jaedon LeDee was the point leader with 31 points and 10 rebounds. SDSU stays undefeated in conference play while SJSU is winless in the Mountain West.

Next game for the Spartans is January 13th against Air Force and Coach Tim Miles has to do some course correction as his Spartans have now lost three in a row.

Aztecs overwhelm Cardinal 74-60

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Stanford Cardinal forward Max Murrell (10) and San Diego State Aztecs forward Miles Heide (40) grasp for the basketball at Viejas Arena in San Diego on Thu Dec 21, 2023 (photo by USA Today)

By Daniel Dullum

Thursday, December 21, 2023

Stanford hit the road for the final time before the start of conference play on Thursday, dropping a 74-60 non-league decision to San Diego State in front of 12,414 at Viejas Arena.

Lamont Butler led the Aztecs with a game-high 18 points on 7 of 13 field goal shooting, including three 3-pointers. He also had four assists and four steals.

Jaedon LeDee was next for San Diego State with 16 points, and Micah Parrish added 10 points.

Maxime Raynaud paced the Cardinal (5-5) with 15 points while grabbing a game-high seven rebounds, followed by Michael Jones and Brandon Angel with 14 and 10 points, respectively.

The Cardinal connected on only 3 of 20 from 3-point range, and 40.8 percent from the field. Stanford made 17 of 19 free throws.

Stanford led most of the first half and used six points by Raynaud to take an early 10-5 lead. From there the Aztecs took control of the contest, leading 34-32 at halftime

The Aztecs (6-3) used a 15-3 run to open the second half to pull away. Andrej Stockovic scored all six of his points in the second half to help Stanford cut its deficit to 10 on three different occasions. But San Diego State maintained its distance for the remainder of the game.

The Cardinal play their next game on Friday, Dec. 29, for its Pac-12 Conference opener against Arizona State.

Stanford Cardinal basketball podcast with Michael Roberson: Stanford battles San Diego State Tonight; Cardinal set sights for third win in a row

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Stanford Cardinal guard Andrej Stojakovic (2) won the Freshman of the week Award. Stojakovic led the Cardinal in scoring with 17 points against the Idaho Vandals Sun Dec 17, 2023 at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto (Stanford Cardinal photo)

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael R:

#1 Stanford Cardinal guard Andrej Stojakovic led the Cardinal with 17 points Sunday at Stanford and won the Freshman of the week Award quite an achievement for Stojakovic.

#2 Four other Cardinal ended up in double figures. Michael Jones had 14 points with seven rebounds and Maxime Raynaud got his second double double of the season with 12 points and 13 rebounds.

#3 Kanaan Carlyle had 11 points in his first game with the Cardinal and off the bench.

#4 The Cardinal shot 56.4 their highest percentage of the season and 43.5 for three pointers. It was the third time the Cardinal past the 40 percent mark this season.

#5 It’s off to San Diego State and the Aztecs Thu Dec 21st. The Aztecs won their last game edging UC Irvine 63-62 at San Diego State. Aztecs are good and ready with a 9-2 record. Stanford is 6-4 and are looking for a road win.

Michael Roberson is a Stanford Cardinal beat writer for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose State Becomes Bowl Eligible After A 24-13 Victory Against San Diego State

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Off and running the San Jose State University Spartans did enough to score and stay ahead of the San Diego State Aztecs at Spartan Stadium in San Jose on Sat Nov 18, 2023 (SJSU photo)

Saturday, November 18th, 2023

By Troy Ewers

San Jose, CA – In CEFCU Stadium, the San Jose State Spartans host the San Diego State Aztecs as SJSU looks to win their fifth game in a row. The Spartans look to become bowl eligible for the third time in the last four seasons and it could be the first time the Spartans have ever gone to three bowl games in four seasons and Coach Brent Brennan would be the first head coach in SJSU history to lead the Spartans to three bowl games. 

The first quarter starts with the Spartans having the ball and nothing comes after five plays, but the game plan is visible. Spread the ball around and play a balanced game for their final home game this season. San Diego State running back Jaylon Armstead carried the majority offense for the Aztecs opening drive, even supplying a 39 yard drive, but after surviving a fourth and 3 Armstead jammed the ball in from the 1 yard line and scored the first touchdown of the game, 7-0 San Diego State.

The second drive for the Spartans goes the whole rest of the first quarter, but it doesn’t come without a sense of anxiety when there was a fumble on a handoff that was recovered by the Spartans, but the quarter ends with the Aztecs up 7-0.

San Jose State starts the second from their red zone and Chevan Cordeiro hits Dominick Mazotti for a 10 yard pass in the end zone for a touchdown and the Spartans even the score up 7-7 to start the second quarter.

Cordeiro now has 17 touchdown passes after that last one and is now two away from tying Derek Carr for fourth all time in Mountain West history. On the next drive for the Spartans, Cordeiro kept the drive alive with a little brotherly shove, but the very next play Cordeiro throws an interception to Chris Johnson who returns it for 44 yards.

The Spartans defense was able to recover from the interception and kept the Aztecs outside the red zone and forced them to kick a field goal which they made and now were in the lead again 10-7. Cordeiro recovered from his interception by slinging the ball down the field his very next drive, going 5-7 for 49 yards, but it wasn’t enough the San Diego State defense forced the Spartans to kick a field goal and it was good to tie the game at halftime. 

The Aztecs started the third quarter and couldn’t convert on the fourth down after a 49 yard drive, Spartans’ ball and the chance to take the lead and change the momentum of this game. Cordeiro continued his great passing display with a pass to Isaac Jernagin for 42 yards.

This was followed up with a game changing moment from Quali Conley running for a 20 yard touchdown and after the successful extra point, the Spartans were up 17-10 with 6:16 left in the third quarter and the momentum in their favor.

The momentum didn’t stop for the Spartans as they were able to spoil the next drive for the Aztecs, but Bryun Parham racked up his first interception of the season and returned for 20 yards to give SJSU great field position and a chance to wedge a gap in this game.

The Spartans drive started out terribly though when a failed reverse resulted in a loss of 17 yards, putting the Spartans farther than they wanted to the drive. This disadvantage led to a three and out and forced the Spartans to punt, killing the hype they had after that big interception. The Aztecs ended the quarter with the ball, but not the greatest field position. 

The fourth quarter was majority SDSU gaining field position, but were able to get all the way to the red zone and a chance to tie it up. The rain came out of nowhere and started pouring as the Spartans defense stopped them and forced the Aztecs to hit a field goal, preventing a tie, 17-13.

When the Spartans got the ball the game was solidified when their running backs did what they do best. Conley got a huge run that was just supposed to run the clock down, but the Spartans weren’t done and Kairee Robinson on Senior Night scored on a rushing touchdown, setting a school record with 16 rushing touchdowns this season and his ninth consecutive game with a touchdown making it 24-13 San Jose State. The Aztecs had one more chance to make things happen and they pushed the ball down the field, but a pick by Tre Jenkins put the nail in the coffin. 

The game ended 24-13 with the Spartans getting the victory and punching their ticket for bowl eligibility. The Spartans still have a chance to get second place in the Mountain West and have a possible Mountain West Championship game ahead, but for now they celebrate this win. Next week the Spartans will face the leaders of the Mountain West, UNLV in Las Vegas for the final regular game of the season.

NCAA Championship podcast with Michael Roberson: UConn fans and students celebration gets out of hand after championship watch party

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There were many property casualties at the University of Connecticut in Storrs CT following the UConn Huskies win over the San Diego State Aztecs in the NCAA Championship game on Mon Apr 3, 2023 here fans rally on the campus (AP News photo)

On the NCAA Championship podcast with Michael:

#1 Michael after the UConn Huskies (31-8) defeated the San Diego State Aztecs (32-7) students and fans at the University of Connecticut rioted tearing down street signs, light poles, smashed windows, flipping cars over, setting fire to dumpsters and destroyed property following the NCAA Championship game.

#2 Michael, 15 people were arrested and 16 people were taken to the hospital in Storrs. A UConn spokeswoman Stephani Reitz said that a majority celebrating at the campus were mostly well behaved but that small group was big enough to do destructive property damage to the university which overshadowed Monday’s victory.

#3 Gampel Pavilion the Huskies home arena at UConn held a watch party that had 10,000 students in attendance who took to the campus and streets after the win and the campus was trashed. Work crews and contractors came in to clean up and patch up the damage. It was miraculous that no one was killed in this wild and out of control post game celebration.

#4 To the game talk about the Huskies high scorers who kept any chance of victory away from the Aztecs, Tristen Newton 19 points, Adama Sanogo 17 points, and and Jordan Hawkins 16 points.

#5 First lady Jill Biden suggested that the Iowa Hawkeyes should be invited to the White House too even though they lost to NCAA women’s champs the LSU Tigers. LSU’s Angel Reese tweeted with the link of the story writing “A JOKE” and three laughing on the floor emojis. Dr. Biden walked back here idea saying she didn’t mean any disrespect to LSU players regarding the idea of inviting Iowa to the White House.

Michael Roberson is a Stanford Cardinal beat writer and covered the Final Four and the Championship game for http://www.sportsradioservice.com