The San Diego State Aztecs honored Bill Walton in the best way possible, even as they dodged a big scare.

The Aztecs beat the Colorado Buffaloes 77-66 on Saturday afternoon in the inaugural Bill Walton Classic at Pechanga Arena, where the Big Redhead once played while with the San Diego Clippers.

The Aztecs got a scare when forward Jeremiah “Bear” Cherry walked off the court holding his right shoulder in apparent pain with 6:20 to go. The 6-foot-10, 270-pounder was tended to by the team’s training staff before coming back in with 4:33 left, showing no apparent sign of injury.

The Aztecs (2-0) raced to a 35-17 halftime lead before withstanding a surge in the second half by the Buffaloes (1-1), who represented SDSU’s toughest opponent until the Players’ Era Festival in Las Vegas during Thanksgiving week. The Buffs outscored the Aztecs 49-42 in the second half.

The Bill Walton Classic honored the late Hall of Famer, who grew up in suburban Helix before going on to star at UCLA and in the NBA.…