SAN DIEGO (Interstat) — Magoon Gwath scored 18 points and San Diego State used a dominant defensive performance to pull away from Fresno State for a 71-52 victory in a Mountain West Conference men’s basketball game Saturday night at Viejas Arena.

A crowd of 10,544 watched the Aztecs improve to 11-4 overall and 3-1 in conference play, while the Bulldogs fell to 7-9 and 1-3.

The most important part of the game was a decisive 15-0 run by San Diego State that spanned the end of the first half and the start of the second, transforming a competitive contest into a commanding lead from which Fresno State never recovered.

The Bulldogs, who had kept pace early, trailed just 23-21 after a DeShawn Gory layup with 3:44 remaining in the opening period. From that point, the Aztecs clamped down, holding Fresno State without a field goal for nearly seven minutes of game time. San Diego State closed the first half on a 13-2 surge, capped by a BJ Davis layup at the buzzer to take a 36-23 lead into halftime.

The onslaught continued after the break. Gwath, the 7-foot sophomore from Euless, Texas, scored on a layup and a dunk in the first 90 seconds of the second half, extending the run to 17-2 and pushing the lead to 40-23. The Bulldogs’ offensive struggles were encapsulated in that stretch, missing their first six shots of the second half before finally scoring on a Wilson Jacques hook shot at the 17:00 mark.

Fresno State’s offensive woes were comprehensive. The Bulldogs shot just 30.5% from the field, making 18 of 59 attempts, and were hampered by 15 turnovers. Their offensive rating of 70.0 points per 100 possessions underscored a night of inefficiency. While they shot a perfect 7-for-7 from the free-throw line and hit nine three-pointers, they could not generate consistent offense against the Aztecs’ length and pressure.

San Diego State was not sharp offensively either, shooting 40% overall and just 6 of 29 from three-point range. But they dominated the interior, outscoring Fresno State 38-18 in the paint and grabbing 12 offensive rebounds that led to 15 second-chance points. The Aztecs also blocked five shots, with Gwath contributing two of those.

Gwath led all scorers, adding two blocks in 22 minutes. Reese Dixon-Waters added 13 points and Miles Byrd filled the stat sheet with 10 points, six assists and three steals for San Diego State. Byrd’s facilitation was key, as he assisted on three baskets during the game-breaking run.

Fresno State was led by Gory’s 16 points and four assists. Jake Heidbreder scored 11 points, all in the first half, and David Douglas added nine points. The Bulldogs’ backcourt of Gory and DJ Stickman combined for just 18 points on 7-of-24 shooting.

San Diego State’s defense set the tone early, forcing two shot-clock violations and blocking three shots in the first six minutes. The Aztecs never trailed after Gwath’s opening tip-in just 28 seconds into the game.

The victory continued a strong start to Mountain West play for San Diego State, which entered as a heavy favorite according to advanced metrics. Fresno State, coming off a road win at San Jose State, could not replicate that performance against the Aztecs’ stiffer defense.

Both teams return to action next week in conference play. San Diego State travels to face Wyoming on Wednesday, while Fresno State returns home to host Colorado State on Tuesday.