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PROVO — Like so many meetings before them as former conference rivals, BYU and San Diego State played another thriller Friday night.
Jaedon LeDee scored 23 points with six rebounds, and Darion Trammell added 21 points and four assists as the 19th-ranked Aztecs rallied from 10-down to hold off BYU 82-75 at Viejas Arena in San Diego.
Nathan Mensah added 14 points and 10 rebounds for San Diego State (2-0), which shot just 40% from the field and 4-of-14 from 3-point range.
Spencer Johnson poured in 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting with three 3-pointers and five rebounds for BYU, and Rudi Williams added 15 points, four rebounds, three assists for the Cougars (1-1). Fousseyni Traore supplied 14 points and four rebounds, and Gideon George chipped in 11 points, six rebounds and two assists.
San Diego State scored 17 points off 20 turnovers to rally for the win. Turnovers: It's a problem that has plagued the Cougars through two games and the first week of the regular season. BYU also committed 23 turnovers in a 60-56 win over Idaho State in Monday's season opener.
"One of our keys tonight was to win the ball and not turn it over," Johnson told BYU Radio after the game. "That's a big step we need to take, especially against a high-level opponent.
"But we fight, fight, fight, and I'm super proud of our dudes for that. We've just got to stay together. This is a tough loss, and it hurts, but we've got to move on to the next one. ... We were right there. We had a lead on them ... but we can play with anybody."
Hard Fought@BYUMBB | #WCChoopspic.twitter.com/2lb7IbCJNc
— WCC Basketball (@WCChoops) November 12, 2022
It's obviously at the front of BYU's self-scouting report early in the season, with five players with multiple turnovers, including Williams' eight and freshman guard Dallin Hall's four.
"We had 12 turnovers from our point guards; that's what they do," BYU coach Mark Pope said. "Our pace saved us tonight, too. We had the lead because the guys were getting out in transition.
"There are going to be some growing pains as we figure some things out and learn how to play together."
Williams had 7 points on 3-of-5 shooting, and BYU shot 50% from the field and 5-of-11 from 3-point range en route to a 40-36 halftime lead at sold-out Viejas Arena. Traore added 8 points and two rebounds for the Cougars, who led for all but 58 seconds of the first half.
But San Diego State, which trailed by as much as 10 after the break, used a game-high 12-0 run to pull back into the game. The Aztecs tied the game at 56-all on a pair of free throws by Micah Parrish with 10:29 remaining, resetting the game. But the hosts didn't lead after the break until Trammell, the senior transfer from Seattle U., hit a jumper with 7:42 remaining, moments after Traore was forced to the bench with his fourth foul.
Johnson answered immediately with a 3-pointer, part of 7-straight points by the former American Fork standout, to give the Cougars a 67-61 edge with 6:50 to go. The Aztecs responded with a 6-0 run of their own to retake a 71-68 lead on Lamont Butler's bucket and to set up the under-4 media timeout.
You didn't think this one would be easy, did you?
Williams drove in for a bucket to pull the Cougars within one, 73-71, moments later, but Mensah immediately responded with a layup on one end and a block against Traore's attempted dunk on the other to stay in front, and never trailed again.
"NOPE" - Nathan Mensah, probably#TheTimeIsNowpic.twitter.com/4g3InwtkBz
— San Diego State Men's Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) November 12, 2022
"It really got away from us at the rim, and it got away from us controlling the ball," BYU coach Mark Pope said. "We're stuck on this turnover trend — has been super painful for us, and we got really beat up around the rim today.
"We're an undersized team, and we've been here before; but we got beat up inside, and that hurt us."
The Cougars led for more than 30 minutes of game time to just 5:34 for the Aztecs.
"We were really sticking to our game plan, and it was working," Johnson said. "It was just a little stretch, we didn't get back in transition, and a few untimely turnovers.
"If there are some positives to take away, it's that we are capable of playing against a top-20 team like this. I was so proud of our team's effort."
BYU returns home Wednesday to face Missouri State (7 p.m. MST, BYUtv).
"It's just the difference in a young team right now and where we want to be," Pope said. "We've just got to get better; we will. It's why you have seasons. It's certainly a really disappointing loss, but we'll get better."
