Lackluster Aztecs Lose to Cougars : Basketball: Despite Marty Dow’s 26 points, SDSU lets BYU romp to 75-55 victory.

People knew the San Diego State basketball team had a trip scheduled after Sunday’s important victory over Wyoming.

What the Aztecs didn’t realize, maybe, was that this is a business trip, not a vacation.

The Aztecs walked into the Marriott Center here Thursday night and played as if a basketball game had interrupted something more interesting and, consequently, Brigham Young and second-team center Gary Trost pummeled SDSU, 75-55, in a Western Athletic Conference game in front of 18,031.

“It was one of those games where we came out and got . . . kicked, to put it bluntly,” said forward Courtie Miller.

After playing one of their best games of the season Sunday, the Aztecs (9-11, 4-5) turned around and played what might have been their worst.

“Yep,” said guard Arthur Massey. “We didn’t compete. I don’t know why. We just didn’t.”

And the thing is, SDSU caught what looked like a big break early. Trost replaced BYU’s 7-foot-6 freshman center, Shawn Bradley, with 14:34 remaining in the first half after Bradley was whistled for his third foul.

Now Bradley, when the night began, was averaging 5.8 blocked shots and 17 points a game. Trost? He checked in at four points a game.

Until Thursday. Little did SDSU know, getting Trost instead of Bradley would turn out like getting arsenic instead of cyanide. Trost, a sophomore, had a career-best 19 points and 13 rebounds--and three blocks. Bradley had two.

Trost made eight of 10 field goals. He hit from inside, and from out. He did it all.

Maybe it was fate. BYU runs a full color picture of a different player on the cover of its program each game. Guess who the cover boy was Thursday?

Look Trost up in the BYU media guide, and there isn’t much information. He was on a two-year church mission and hasn’t played since the 1987-88 season. And then, he wasn’t exactly a superstar. One of the lines describing Trost’s 1987-88 season reads, “Was a crowd favorite for hustle and aggressive play.” Oh.

“I didn’t even know who he was before the game,” Miller said. “Then he comes out and busts about 50 on us.”

Said SDSU center Marty Dow: “I knew Trost could run the floor. I really didn’t expect him to do it that much. He got some easy buckets on the fast break.”

Said Trost: “I knew I was going to get 15 minutes of playing time when I went in, so I decided to concentrate. I wouldn’t be playing like I am if it weren’t for going against Shawn every day in practice.”

Once, SDSU Coach Jim Brandenburg tried to recruit Trost. Thursday, he watched Trost take over.

The Aztecs were already in a hole, 13-6, when Bradley got his third foul. Forward Keith Balzer, ready to check into the game, flashed a smile at that point. His thinking was clear: The big guy will have to sit, and here we come.

Nothing materialized. The Aztecs pulled to within five three times, but never mounted a serious run. BYU (14-10, 8-3) pulled away steadily, and by halftime SDSU trailed, 40-28.

Dow scored 18 of his game-high 26 points in the first half, but got no help. SDSU’s first-half offense consisted of Dow inside and a lot of guys standing around. He scored 18 of SDSU’s first 24 points, and at halftime, no other Aztec had more than two points.

By the end of the game, no other Aztec had reached double figures. Massey jammed a finger in his shooting hand in the first half and finished with seven points. He was hounded most of the game by BYU’s Nathan Call and made only three of 13 field goals.

Overall, SDSU shot 42% from the field which, believe it or not, was higher than average for a team playing BYU. Entering the game, the Cougars had held opponents to 40.6% from the field, 12th in the nation. BYU shot 54% from the field, and outrebounded SDSU, 41-21. Steve Schreiner (18 points) and Call (14) gave Trost some help.

What all of these numbers added up to was the Aztecs’ worst loss since Dec. 29, when UCLA beat them, 94-74. Only North Carolina (99-63) has defeated SDSU by a more lopsided score this season.

“You can put a lot of labels on it, but we just didn’t play well,” Brandenburg said.

And now, the momentum of the Wyoming victory has taken a back seat to Thursday’s debacle. “Utah” is on SDSU’s list of four-letter words--the Aztecs have lost six in a row at BYU, and 12 of 13. Combine that with the Aztecs’ performance at the University of Utah, where play Saturday, and SDSU is 2-25 in this state since the mid-1970s.

“We had just come off a big win,” Dow said. “I don’t know what was running through the other guys’ minds. . . . Maybe that we could come in here and coast. They should have known better. (BYU) beat us in San Diego.”

Did Dow think the Aztecs coasted Thursday?

“The way we started the game, we appeared to be,” he said.

Well, at least give them some credit. Many people on the plane to Salt Lake City were headed for Utah’s resorts. At least none of the Aztecs brought skis.