Senior forward Winston Shepard came off the bench to post 16 points and six rebounds, leading San Diego State to a 79-54 victory over visiting East Carolina on Monday at Viejas Arena in San Diego.

Freshman guard Jeremy Hemsley had 16 points and six assists for San Diego State (3-2). Sophomore guard Trey Kell scored 15 points and junior guard Dakari Allen added 11.

Sophomore guard Lance Tejada scored 11 points off the bench to lead East Carolina (2-2).

San Diego State opened the game with a 15-0 run. East Carolina committed three turnovers missed four shots before sophomore guard B.J. Tyson got them on the scoreboard with 15:35 to play in the opening period. The Aztecs went up 32-9 when Shepard dunked to cap a 10-0 run with 9:06 remaining in the half.

San Diego State carried a 44-21 advantage into the locker room at the break and maintained a comfortable lead in the second half. The Aztecs went up 63-37 on two free throws by freshman forward Zylan Cheatham with 9:38 to play. The Pirates mounted a late charge to cut the deficit to 16, but the Aztecs ended the game with a 9-0 run.