PHOENIX — Saint Mary's Men's Basketball kicked off the Jerry Colangelo Classic on Friday night with a neutral-site game against the San Diego State Aztecs. For the second year in a row these teams met on a neutral floor, and the Gaels were looking avenge last season's loss to the Aztecs. A back-and-forth affair early on seemed to play to the strengths of the Gaels, but ultimately SDSU pulled away late for the 63-53 win. The Gaels drop to 10-3 while the Aztecs improve to 7-3.
DEFENSE ON DISPLAY
Both teams entered Friday's contest ranked inside the top-11 in defensive efficiency, and both teams got off to great starts on defense in the first half.