With just a month left in the regular season, San Diego State (15-6, 8-4 MWC) only has conference play remaining to boost their resume.
“Personally, I don’t feel like it’s [the NCAA Division I tournament] slipping away,” senior forward Jared Coleman-Jones said after the loss. “We’re approaching the end of conference play, but I have no doubt that we will make the NCAA tournament. I have no doubt, and it never crossed my mind that we wouldn’t.”
The Aztecs fell to fifth in the Mountain West Conference after coming up short against the Rams (15-8, 9-3 MW) on Saturday night at Moby Arena in Fort Collins, Colo. The two teams split the season series (1-1).
SDSU started stagnant, opening the contest 0-7 from three and falling into an early seven-point deficit. Coleman-Jones and sophomore guard Myles Byrd helped end the team’s drought by drilling three triples late in the first half.
Coleman-Jones, who normally starts, came off the bench after missing the last two games with a shoulder injury. He is the Scarlet and Black’s second-leading rebounder, averaging 5.2 RPG this season. The 6-foot 10-inch forward finished the contest with 8 points, 3 boards and a block.
Coleman-Jones spoke about his injury after the matchup.
“It’s getting better. I dislocated it. It happened this summer, but I’m strengthening it,” he said. “I’m going to play. I’m going to fight through it. It’s not a thing to me, and I’ve been raised tougher than that, so I’m going to fight through it and play hard.”
By halftime, Ram senior guard Nique Clifford proved a problem for the Aztecs. He led scoring at the midway mark (11) and ended with a stat line of 21 points (8-15 FG, 4-7 3PT), 13 rebounds, three steals and two assists.
Freshman forward Magoon Gwath continued his impressive stretch of growth and development. In his last three games, he averaged 17.7 points (.618 FG%, .417 3FG%) and 10.3 rebounds per game.
On Saturday, the 7-footer led his team in points (15) and rebounds (10). He recorded his fourth double-double and was the only Aztec to reach double digits in either category.
Entering the night, San Diego State was undefeated when Gwath scored in double figures. Colorado State snapped the six-game streak that began on Nov. 12 versus Occidental.
A 12-1 run paved the way for the Rams in the second half and was accompanied by seven straight Aztec missed free throws. SDSU ended the second half just 5-13 from the line and 11-21 in total.
Head coach Brian Dutcher discussed his team’s struggles.
“It doesn’t take a coach to know that if you go 11-for-21 from the foul line, it’s really hard to win. At the end of the day, each team scored 22 baskets. We had one more three than they did, but they were 17-for-24 at the line, and we were 11-for-21,” he said. “There’s lots of different things we can point out, but at the end of the day, we missed a lot of free throws down that stretch in the second half, and that allowed them to get enough separation to win the game.”
The Ram’s largest lead of the night (8) came with a little over nine minutes remaining in the second half. Colorado State’s lead was cut to just three in the final minutes but a fifth straight come-from-behind victory proved out of reach for the Scarlet and Black.
In the first matchup, at Viejas Arena (Jan. 14), Byrd scored a career-high 25 points, including five triples, six boards and seven steals. He is the first player in Mountain West history to have a game with those numbers. In the second meeting at Moby Arena, he only managed seven points, three rebounds and two assists.
Dutcher compared the two nights in the postgame presser.
“Byrd dominated Nique Clifford in Viejas and Nique Clifford dominated the game today. He goes for 21 points and 13 rebounds,” he said. “Byrd, who shot the lights out at Viejas and hit five threes, is 1-for-8 today. You’re talking about two guys that are potential NBA players, and one had a great game, and one didn’t.”
Last week Byrd was named to the Julius Erving Award Watchlist, recognizing the top small forwards in Division I men’s college basketball. He ranks second in free throw percentage & steals, fifth in 3-pointers made (2.16/game), seventh in blocks (1.0/game) and twelfth in scoring.
SDSU and CSU have met 98 times, with SDSU now holding a 53-45 lead in the all-time series.
San Diego State’s next game is Tuesday, Feb. 11 at San Jose State. The Aztecs defeated the Spartans at home on Jan. 28.
