San Diego State put a stop to Cal offense in victory win.

Nick Boyd overcame a challenging first half, during which he failed to score, by netting all 17 of his points in the second half, leading No. 23 San Diego State to a 71-50 victory over California on Saturday night. After missing all six of his attempts in the opening half, Boyd quickly made an impact by sinking two 3-pointers within the first minute of the second half, propelling the Aztecs (8-2) to their fifth consecutive win. BJ Davis and Miles Byrd contributed 12 points each for San Diego State. For the Golden Bears (7-5), Jeremiah Wilkinson scored 13 points, while Andrej Stojakovic added 10. California struggled offensively, shooting just 25.5% for the game, marking their 19th consecutive loss against ranked opponents.

Key observations from the game include the Bears' inability to score, as they missed 16 consecutive shots in the first half, leading to visible frustration for coach Mark Madsen, who received a technical foul late in the period. On the other hand, San Diego State initially struggled as well, missing 11 of their first 12 shots before launching a 16-1 run towards the end of the first half. The Aztecs improved their shooting in the second half, making 8 of 15 attempts from beyond the arc. A significant moment occurred when Byrd hit a 3-pointer in the final minute of the first half, breaking a combined streak of 21 consecutive misses from 3-point range by both teams. San Diego State had missed their first 10 attempts, while California was 0 for 12 in the first half. The Bears had previously scored at least 80 points in six straight games, a feat not accomplished since 1972, before being limited to just 50 points by the Aztecs.

San Diego State will host Utah State next Saturday, while California is set to visit Pittsburgh on January 1.