SDSU mauled by No. 7 Michigan in ugly, lopsided loss at Players Era Festival

Whether it was Magoon Gwath’s forehead or Pharaoh Compton’s hand, the San Diego State Aztecs bore the physical toll all night in a bruising 94-54 loss to the No. 7 Michigan Wolverines in the opening game of the Players Era Festival.

After the first two shots of the night fell, not much else went right consistently for SDSU (2-2), as the Wolverines (5-0) had their way inside and outside at the Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas. Elzie Harrington scored an Aztecs-best 15 points off the bench, while Michigan had six players in double-figures led by Yaxel Lendeborg’s 15 points.

The Maize and Blue mauled the Scarlet and Black on the boards, turning their 49-34 edge on the glass to a 22-3 advantage in second chance scoring while dominating paint points by a 38-12 margin.

BJ Davis was the only other Aztec in double-figures, scoring 11 points in 17 minutes off the bench, as SDSU only had two more players with multiple field goal makes. Both Gwath (7 points) and Miles Byrd (5 points) each made two.

SDSU’s starters combined to go 6 for 32 from the field, as Michigan held the Aztecs to 27.4% shooting for the game and just 17.4% (5 of 28) in the second half.

After jumping ahead 5-0 in the opening minute, the Aztecs missed 7 of 8 shots over a stretch of 5:47, during which the Wolverines put together a 12-0 run to take control and never relinquish. Michigan had four 3-point possessions during the stretch; a Lendeborg and-one, an Elliot Cadeau 3-pointer and a pair of triples by Will Tschetter.

The Wolverines’ length gave SDSU issues on both sides of the court, with the guards pressing up on the Scarlet and Black guards to make it difficult to find passing lanes. Then on offense, the size advantage led to four second-chance baskets in addition to a pair of trips to the free throw line.

After falling behind by as much as 17 points with 7:22 before the half, SDSU was able to get the deficit back to single-digits three times as Davis and Harrington added a jolt the the offense off the bench.

First, Davis got fouled on a triple try and swished all three at the stripe, then Harrington made his first of a team-high 9 points by knocking down a right-elbow jumper. The duo combined to make back-to-back 3-pointers, as they made 6 of 13 combined in the opening half as SDSU trailed 45-33 at the break.

The Wolverines put the hammer down early in the second half, scoring the first 8 points and 21 of the first 27 to put the rest of the proceedings in a hammerlock.

Up next for SDSU will be the Oregon Ducks, who dropped their first game of the season earlier in the day by fading down the stretch in an 84-73 loss to the No. 21 Auburn Tigers. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. from Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay, with the game being televised on TNT and San Diego Sports 760AM providing the radio call.

This story will be updated.