With just 3.2 seconds left, hope for San Diego State women’s basketball at Viejas Arena seemed lost. Conference-leading UNLV had just taken the lead and looked to remain undefeated in Mountain West Play.

However, Veronica Sheffey had other plans. The senior guard attacked the rim and drilled a layup with no time on the clock to earn a 59-58 win.

It was pure elation after the shot, but getting to that point was no easy feat.

The Aztecs (15-7, 4-5 MW) came out of the gates ready, taking an early 9-3 lead. Four out of their five starters notched baskets in the run, generating a promising start against the revered Lady Rebels (16-5, 8-1 MW).

UNLV quickly clawed back, bringing the score back to within one. The remainder of the quarter was tightly contested, yet the Aztecs showed promise. Back-to-back buckets from forward Bailey Barnhard and Sheffey extended the Aztecs’ lead to five.

After that, things went south fast for the scarlet and black. The Lady Rebels closed the quarter with six consecutive points, including last-second free throws that gave them a 16-15 lead.

The start of the second quarter displayed a similar theme. The Aztecs’ offense went dormant, allowing the UNLV run to extend to 13-0. The run finally ended four minutes into the quarter, when guard Nat Martinez was able to break the ice.

Martinez and Sheffey kept the team afloat for the remainder of the quarter, being the only Aztecs to make multiple field goals in the half. However, the Lady Rebels extended their halftime lead to eight with a late-quarter three.

Although down, head coach Stacy Terry-Hutson saw positives in her team’s play.

“I thought we did a lot of good things,” said Terry-Hutson. “We were doing things that we needed to do. It was like ‘Hey you guys put yourself in a position, we can climb out of this hole too.’”

Terry-Hutson’s optimistic message at halftime proved effective, as the Aztecs started the half playing with fire. Two quick baskets from forward Adryana Quezada and Martinez and a block from forward Kim Villalobos set an energetic tone for the rest of the game.

Throughout the third quarter, the score followed an accordion-like pattern. The Lady Rebels’ lead would fluctuate between nine and six points, but the Aztecs never broke.

Strong defense down the stretch kept the game competitive, while SDSU found its offensive edge. Thanks to their defensive tenacity, a pair of scores from Martinez and a three by forward Cali Clark brought the lead down to just one point midway through the fourth quarter.

“We always say defense is gonna win it,” Sheffey said. “We have to really lock in on getting stops, it’s the most important thing, and then execute on the other end.”

As the game got later on, pulling off the upset seemed more and more like a reality for the Scarlet and Black. Sheffey’s aggressive offensive play allowed for a pair of free throws and a layup that would tie the game with 38.8 seconds to go.

“Having a mentality of being aggressive all the time,” Sheffey said regarding her successful performance on the interior. “We play our best basketball when we share it. Knowing the time to drive and knowing the time to pass, we’re continuing to master that.”

However, UNLV took their lead back on a free throw with 3.2 seconds on the clock. This led to a timeout called by Terry-Hutson, who drew up a play for Sheffey to utilize her aggressiveness.

On the inbound, Sheffey took three dribbles to her left side and went up for the layup that fell through the basket as the buzzer sounded.

The crowd at Viejas Arena erupted and her teammates poured off the bench to celebrate in a moment that seemed season-defining for the Aztecs.

Sheffey played 37 minutes but was too lost in the moment to feel any fatigue.

“There was a lot of adrenaline and the crowd really helped,” she said. “When the game gets tight like that, I don’t really think about being tired.”

Terry-Hutson felt that the moment was much needed for this group.

“It just shows us that we can and we are capable,” said Terry-Hutson.

The Aztecs will take their excitement into a bye-week and return to action on Saturday, February 1 at 1 p.m. in New Mexico.