San Diego St. wins MW/MVC Challenge at Illinois St. 75-65
NORMAL, Ill. -- Devin Watson pumped in 23 points and San Diego State won its first true road game of the season, knocking off Illinois State, 75-65 in the Mountain West/Missouri Valley Conference Challenge on Saturday afternoon.
The Aztecs (5-2) played three of their first six games on neutral sites.
Wilson hit a 3 to give San Diego State a quick, 8-3 lead and the Aztecs pushed it to 16-7 after Jalen McDaniels dunked with 12:45 remaining in the half. The Redbirds got within three early in the second half, but Wilson answered with a jumper and McDaniels dunked again and the Aztecs maintained their distance the rest of the way.
McDaniels finished with 12 points and 15 rebounds for San Diego State (5-2).
Phil Fayne and Malik Yarbrough each added 16 points and Yarbrough grabbed 13 boards for Illinois State (6-3), which suffered its first loss in five home games.
Former San Diego State coach Steve Fisher travelled with the team. The two-time national Coach of the Year earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from Illinois State and he was 2-0 coaching against his alma mater.
Game Information
- Referees:
- Randy Heimerman
- Tom O'Neill
- Eric Curry
2024-25 Mountain West Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utah State | 1-0 | - | 11-1 |
| San Diego State | 1-0 | - | 8-2 |
| Boise State | 1-0 | - | 9-3 |
| New Mexico | 1-0 | - | 9-3 |
| Colorado State | 1-0 | - | 7-5 |
| UNLV | 0-0 | 0.5 | 6-5 |
| Nevada | 0-1 | 1 | 8-4 |
| Wyoming | 0-1 | 1 | 7-5 |
| San José State | 0-1 | 1 | 7-6 |
| Fresno State | 0-1 | 1 | 4-8 |
| Air Force | 0-1 | 1 | 3-9 |
2024-25 Missouri Valley Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana State | 2-0 | - | 8-4 |
| Drake | 1-0 | 0.5 | 11-0 |
| Bradley | 1-0 | 0.5 | 10-2 |
| Belmont | 1-0 | 0.5 | 9-3 |
| Northern Iowa | 1-0 | 0.5 | 7-5 |
| Murray State | 1-1 | 1 | 6-5 |
| Illinois State | 0-1 | 1.5 | 8-4 |
| UIC | 0-1 | 1.5 | 7-4 |
| Missouri State | 0-1 | 1.5 | 7-5 |
| Valparaiso | 0-1 | 1.5 | 7-5 |
| Southern Illinois | 0-1 | 1.5 | 5-7 |
| Evansville | 0-1 | 1.5 | 3-9 |
Men's College Basketball News
