Sometimes even miracles aren’t enough.
That was the case for San Diego State on Tuesday night, as an unbelievable half-court heave by Miles Byrd at the end of regulation couldn’t save the Aztecs from heartbreak, with SDSU falling in a double-overtime instant classic to Troy University, 108-107. It was a dramatic game packed with wild swings, clutch moments and a gut-wrenching final possession that left the Aztecs just one point short.
Playing their first game in nine days, the Aztecs came out of the gate visibly rusty, opening 1-for-7 from the field and quickly falling behind by double digits to the underdog Trojans.
“We had a rusty start to the game,” head Coach Brian Dutcher said. “That first five, seven minutes, we struggled on both ends of the floor.”
Their early struggles saw them trail 14-2 while shooting just 33% in the first half. However, San Diego State managed to overcome its opening struggles and rally, eventually tying the game heading into halftime.
In the second half, the Aztec offense came to life, finding its rhythm and pouring in 51 points while shooting 55% from the field, flipping the script after a shaky start.
The offense was led by the Aztec stars Miles Byrd and Magoon Gwath, who finished with 24 and 20, respectively. Gwath, in his return to the lineup after rehabbing a knee injury, made an immediate impact on both ends of the floor.
But Troy absorbed every punch the Aztecs delivered and kept coming back. In a game marked by 16 lead changes, the two teams went at each other like heavyweight fighters. Every time the Aztecs landed a blow, the Trojans countered with one of their own, refusing to back down.
The Trojans seemingly answered each SDSU run and eventually mounted a huge one of their own. They scored on eight consecutive possessions from 10:18 to 5:17 in the second half, stretching their lead from 61-57 to 80-69.
After a Jeremy Bellamy bucket, Troy held a 12-point lead with 3:38 remaining and looked to have the game under control.
But the Aztecs weren’t done.
Gwath sparked the improbable comeback, scoring seven straight points to cut the deficit to 83-77. SDSU still trailed by four with 20 seconds left when Gwath buried a three to bring them within one point with 18 seconds remaining.
After several exchanges of free throws, Troy’s Thomas Dowd went to the line with his team up by two and a chance to seal the game.
He missed the first, giving the Aztecs life. He made the second, pushing the lead to three with 2.4 seconds remaining. San Diego State now had a chance to tie the game, but with no timeouts left, they couldn’t advance the ball. They needed a hero.
And then it happened.
Miles Byrd took the inbound pass, took one dribble, and launched a half-court prayer as the buzzer sounded.
Bang.
Miracle delivered.
Byrd’s incredible shot tied it up, sending the game into overtime and the Viejas Arena crowd into a frenzy.
“I think I’m very comfortable with that shot,” Byrd said after the game. “I’m glad I stepped up and drilled it.”
But the madness didn’t stop there, as Troy refused to fold despite losing their late lead.
Overtime mirrored regulation. It was a back-and-forth battle that once again had SDSU trailing late. This time, Reese Dixon-Waters played the hero, driving into traffic for a layup to tie the game at 98 with seven seconds left, giving the Aztecs their second clutch basket of the night and forcing yet another overtime period.
But the second overtime is where the Aztecs ran out of magic.
San Diego State held a four-point lead with 3:22 to play, but its offense stalled. They hit just one more field goal, a three from Miles Byrd, and went scoreless over the final 92 seconds. Troy’s Theo Seng scored in the post to put the Trojans up 108-107 in the final seconds, giving SDSU one last chance at a third and final heroic moment.
Byrd had a perfect look from beyond the arc, a shot that felt destined to go in, but it bounced off the rim. The rebound landed with Sean Newman Jr., whose buzzer-beating attempt was blocked, leaving the Aztecs stunned by the underdog Trojans.
After the game, head coach Brian Dutcher reflected on the thrilling game and the pain of falling just short.
“If you were a college basketball fan, you had to love that game,” Dutcher said. “But unfortunately, I’m not a college basketball fan. I’m a college coach, so I’m not very happy with the results.”
A lot of Dutcher’s unhappiness stemmed from his team’s effort defensively.
“I thought offensively, we played well enough, but we don’t win with our offense,” he said. “We win with our defense, and it looked like this game was just racing each other to see who could score the most points, and that’s not Aztec basketball.”
The Aztecs won’t have much time to dwell on Tuesday’s result, as they head to Las Vegas to face Michigan on Nov. 24, hoping to get their season back on track after an uncharacteristic non-conference loss.
“It’s a long season. I think as a team, we’re going to be resilient enough to where we don’t let this affect us in the long run.” Byrd said. “So as much as you want to sit on this one for the next two weeks, you really can’t, you know, kind of got to get over it quickly.”
Now the underdogs, 2-1 SDSU, will aim to be the one to play spoiler against the undefeated Wolverines. Only time will tell if they can channel Tuesday’s devastation into fuel and take down one of the nation’s top teams.
