The No. 21 San Diego State men’s basketball fell short on the road against the University of Nevada Las Vegas at the Thomas & Mack Center, 62-58, on Tuesday, March 5.
The Aztecs (22-8, 11-6 Mountain West) and the Runnin’ Rebels (19-10, 12-5 Mountain West) both are sitting top 5 in the conference and are looking to better position themselves for the MWC tournament.
Historically, the Aztecs are 43-37 all-time against UNLV including winning 13 of the last 14 meetings at the Thomas & Mack Center. SDSU won the first game against UNLV at Viejas Arena 72-61. The last time UNLV beat SDSU was in 2020.
This time around the Scarlet and Black were listed as 3.5-point road favorites, but knew it wasn’t going to be easy as the first go around. The Runnin’ Rebels entered this game on a four-game winning streak, including a home victory against No. 22 Colorado State. Additionally, UNLV is 6-2 against ranked teams this season.
SDSU had a tough time in the beginning trying to score. UNLV got out in front with a 12-2 lead within the first seven minutes. At that moment, the two points scored for SDSU came from a pair of free throws made by forward Jaedon LeDee.
With nearly eight minutes played, the Aztecs, made their first basket on a three-pointer by junior guard Reese Waters, which was set up by a pass from guard Darrion Trammell.
The Aztecs have now fallen behind within the first five minutes in eight of their last nine games.
Unlike in their performance last Tuesday against San Jose State University — where they only committed six personal fouls — SDSU got into foul trouble. Against UNLV, the Aztecs were called on 19 personal fouls while UNLV only had 12.
With under nine minutes left to play in the first half, UNLV’s Keylan Boone nailed two three-pointers from the corner on back-to-back possessions, giving the Runnin’ Rebels a 27-10 momentum— their largest lead (17).
The UNLV fans inside “The Mack,” dressed in all-white for their senior night, were loud as they were doing their famous, slow “Rebels” chant.
SDSU, just like how they have done all season, didn’t throw in the towel. They were able to go on a run of their own, cutting UNLV’s lead down to three points. SDSU started rocky going 2 of 25 on shots, but while on their run, they went 5 of 6, making it 33-28 at halftime.
Just as advertised, SDSU’s defense was a huge reason why they were able to keep this game close. After the lackluster start, they were able to make some adjustments to limit open looks and switched to playing more aggressive on ball defense.
With the hustle plays limiting UNLV’s scoring chances along with timely turnovers, the Aztecs kept this game within one or two possessions.
With under 13 minutes left, the Aztecs were only down by a point (42-41) after making three straight three-pointers: two of them by forward Elijah Saunders and the other by guard Miles Byrd.
UNLV answered back with their own stifling defense.
The Runnin’ Rebels were all over LeDee, making him battle inside the paint, contesting all of his shots, and setting double teams anytime he got the ball.
With 4:36 left, UNLV’s point guard Dedan Thomas Jr., converted two big-time baskets: a floater and a three-pointer, giving his team a 56-49 lead.
SDSU missed a golden opportunity to make it a one-possession game when LeDee was sent to the line to shoot free throws and he ended up missing both chances.
Final Four hero Lamont Butler had a moment where he came alive late. After a missed three-pointer, Butler nailed a three-pointer to make it 58-56 with 1:06 left.
On the very next possession, Butler came up with a huge steal on Thomas that led to him getting the game-tying layup with 47 seconds left.
Seconds later, Thomas was able to make up for the turnover by drilling the go-ahead bucket, on a between-the-legs, stepback jumper (60-58).
On SDSU’s last possession, guard Micah Parrish had his three-point attempt blocked by UNLV’s Kalib Boone.
Thomas and Keylan Boone were the biggest contributors to UNLV tonight. Thomas finished with 19 points, shooting 6 of 15 from the field, three rebounds and three assists. Boone finished with a double-double (16 points and 11 rebounds), four assists, four blocks and two steals.
The road struggles continue for SDSU as they now have a record of 5-8 when playing away from Viejas Arena.
As a whole, SDSU had a frustrating night offensively. From the field, they shot 18 of 64 (28.1%) and were limited to only 12 points in the paint.
Saunders, coming off the bench for SDSU, had a team-leading 14 points, six rebounds, two blocks and was 4 of 9 from behind the arc. This is his second game in a row where he has reached double digits in points.
Potential Mountain Player of the Year, LeDee, struggled for most of the night against UNLV’s suffocating defense. LeDee finished with 12 points (on 2-12 shooting), seven rebounds and three personal fouls. Most of LeDee’s points tonight came from the line, going 8-12 on free throws.
Aztecs starting point guard Darrion Trammell finished with five points, seven assists, four steals, and two rebounds. 6 of 11 three-pointers made by the Aztecs were assisted by Trammell.
The Aztecs will have an opportunity to bounce back on Friday, March 8 at 7 p.m. as the Mesa will take on Boise State in their home regular-season finale.
The game will be senior night and fans that are attending the game are encouraged to wear white as it is a “white-out” game.
The team will also have a chance to finish undefeated at home for the first time in D1 program history.
