Fans excited to see SDSU, Zags showdown at the Kennel this past weekend

The crowd at McCarthey Athletic Center as usual was dominated by Gonzaga fans at Friday’s game against San Diego State.

At least a few Aztec fans were sprinkled throughout the arena to see their team’s win.

“I’ve been waiting years for the Aztecs to come play Gonzaga in Spokane, and finally, that day has come. I don’t think our team will be intimidated,” said Nicholas Seistrup, a Spokane resident, San Diego State graduate and an employee at Northern Quest. “I was at the Final Four, and that was an unbelievable experience. Hopefully, this will be a game I can add to my list of great games I’ve witnessed. It’s exciting to finally be here after a lot of anticipation.”

Though they often compete nationally for the title of best West Coast basketball program, San Diego State and Gonzaga had played only three times during the Few era prior to Friday’s highly anticipated showdown at the McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane.

San Diego State’s defense never faltered, and the Aztecs handed Gonzaga their fourth loss of the season and their first double-digit loss in the Kennel since 2012. San Diego State did what it needed to do offensively and defensively and secured an 84-74 win, one that may be deemed significant on Selection Sunday. The Aztecs own two of the 13 losses that Gonzaga has earned at home since 2004.

Seistrup was thankful to receive tickets through work, and joked, “My philosophy since I started working at Northern Quest has been, ‘If they can’t get me a ticket to this game, then I don’t know if I need to work there anymore, but they came through.’ ”

Greg Davenport graduated from San Diego State in 1994 and has been following the basketball team ever since. Davenport mentioned that he was very fortunate to have good friends in Spokane who are season ticket holders and were able to provide him with tickets. Davenport drove from Portland to watch the game.

“It’s pretty awesome,” Davenport said. “It’s so hard to get into this arena. Even for locals, this is a tough ticket to come by. When I graduated, I never envisioned the program would soar the way it has, but I’m here for it.”

Aztec alumni Brian Reagan flew to Spokane from San Diego to watch Friday’s game. He has been a season ticket holder since 2012.

“I’ve been supporting the San Diego State basketball team for 21 years,” Reagan said.

He mentioned the significance that these two programs have had on college basketball, being the two of the best midmajor teams in the country. Reagan got his tickets through San Diego State because it was impossible to buy tickets online.

“You can tell this community supports their basketball team, as they should, because this has really brought a lot of prominence to Gonzaga and Spokane,” Reagan said.