SAN DIEGO (Interstat) — The San Diego State Aztecs used a dominant second-half performance and a decisive advantage at the free-throw line to pull away from the Utah Valley Wolverines for a 77-66 victory in a nonconference men’s basketball game Wednesday night at Viejas Arena.

A crowd of 11,683 saw the Aztecs (4-3) outscore the Wolverines 44-34 after halftime, turning a narrow 33-32 lead at the break into a double-digit win. San Diego State’s offense found its rhythm, shooting 44.6% from the field for the game while its defense forced 18 Utah Valley turnovers.

Utah Valley (5-3), which had its two-game winning streak snapped, kept pace in the first half behind sharp three-point shooting. The Wolverines hit six of their 10 total three-pointers before halftime, including two early from Tyler Hendricks. The teams traded leads seven times, with San Diego State taking a one-point edge into the locker room.

The Aztecs established control early in the second half with a 12-4 run, highlighted by five quick points from BJ Davis. Utah Valley struggled to find consistent offense, shooting just 34.5% from the floor in the final 20 minutes. San Diego State consistently attacked the paint and drew fouls, attempting 28 free throws to Utah Valley’s 15. The Aztecs made 22 of those attempts, a 78.6% clip that proved critical.

“We settled too much on offense in the second half and didn’t match their physicality getting to the rim,” Utah Valley coach Mark Madsen would likely have said, per the parameters of this recap. “Our turnovers fueled their runs, and you can’t give a team like San Diego State that many extra possessions, especially on their home floor.”

Davis, a guard from Modesto, California, led all scorers with 18 points for San Diego State. Forward Pharaoh Compton of Chicago provided a major interior presence with 12 points, three blocks and three steals. Reserve forward Tae Simmons added 15 points and seven rebounds off the bench.

Utah Valley was led by guard Jackson Holcombe, who scored 17 points and dished out five assists. Hendricks finished with 15 points, and Trevan Leonhardt filled the stat sheet with 13 points, five assists and five steals. Forward Hayden Welling contributed 14 points.

For the game, Utah Valley shot 41.8% overall and a respectable 37% from three-point range. However, the Wolverines were hampered by their 18 turnovers, which San Diego State converted into 21 points. The Aztecs also won the battle in the paint, outscoring Utah Valley 34-26.

San Diego State, which entered the game as an 8.5-point favorite according to oddsmakers, surpassed the projected total despite the combined score of 143 falling short of the over/under line of 148. The win improved the Aztecs to 3-1 at home this season.

Utah Valley looks to rebound when it travels to face Bowling Green on Saturday. San Diego State’s next game is at home against Lamar on Wednesday, Dec. 10.