Andrew Huse / Assistant Photo Editor

Like a student studying for a test, the San Diego State water polo team learned a valuable lesson over the weekend.

The earlier you get your work done, the less you have to cram in at the last minute.

Jumping out to a 5-0 lead midway through the second quarter, No. 6 SDSU breezed to a 10-8 win over No. 17 UC Santa Barbara on Sunday at the Aztec Aquaplex.

Still, the Gauchos (4-12, 0-6 in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play) were almost able to mount a comeback as the Aztecs became sloppy while rotating their lineup.

“We turned it over a lot,” head coach Carin Crawford said. “(While attacking) we really need to have a full possession and use the clock, but we just gave Santa Barbara momentum.”

The Gauchos capitalized on SDSU turnovers as utility Christie Clark scored two third-quarter goals, bringing UCSB within two points.

“(Clark) was hurting us more than their centers were,” Crawford said. “So we did try to change (our strategy) to not give her as many looks, but she is a terrific player.”

Down the stretch, the Aztecs (16-2, 3-1) tightened up on Clark and never allowed the Gauchos to get within one goal.

On Friday, a comfortable lead also led to a victory for SDSU. Trailing 6-3 midway through the fourth quarter, No. 9 UC Irvine was unable to mount a comeback, falling 6-5 at the Anteater Aquatics Complex in Irvine.

However, maintaining the lead was more difficult against the Anteaters (10-7, 3-4). Kat Plummer scored a pair of late goals to cut the lead to one with 59 seconds remaining. But the Aztecs’ defense held tight and kept the lead as time expired.

“We were kind of doing that mad scramble defensively,” Crawford said. “We wanted to be really active, knocking players down and not giving up any shots.”

While having the early lead is always nice, Crawford also knows the team’s intensity is higher when the game is tight.

“Sometimes I feel like playing with a lead is almost harder than playing an even game or being behind a little,” Crawford said. “When you know you can attack relentlessly and need goals, that’s an easier mental disposition than wanting to run time off the clock.”

SDSU kicks off its Aztec Invitational against Pacific at noon on Friday. The Aztecs also play Long Beach State and Colorado State on Saturday, and Princeton and CSU Bakersfield on Sunday.

“(Pacific) should be a much tougher game and a really important conference game,” Crawford said. “But looking ahead to conference opponents (Pacific and Long Beach), they are games that we should win and we expect to win.”