The regular-season conclusion has arrived and the Aztecs have essentially limped to the finish line.
But somehow they continue to be granted more chances. With a win against UNLV on Steve Fisher Court and a New Mexico victory against Utah State in Logan, SDSU would be in a three-way tie for the conference title. Not only would that hang another banner in Viejas Arena, but it would give the Aztecs some much-needed momentum going into the Mountain West Tournament.
With that said, they need to take that momentum into their own hands and control the path ahead.
Last night they did.
San Diego State men’s basketball (20-10, 14-6 MW) narrowly etched out a win against a fiery UNLV roster (16-15, 11-9 MW) 89-86 in the regular-season finale Friday night at Viejas Arena.
“Just a gutty, hard-fought win against a really good team,” head coach Brian Dutcher said postgame. “This win gives us some momentum going into the conference tournament next week.”
Dutcher stressed that his team needed to go back to classic SDSU basketball with lockdown defense, but UNLV’s star guard had other plans. Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn started the night with nine points on 3-for-3 shooting from beyond the arc, forcing the Aztecs to find an answer quickly after going down by eight early.
But the tides shifted rapidly after a transition three-pointer from junior guard BJ Davis and a fastbreak dunk from senior forward Jeremiah Oden, taking the roof off Viejas and cutting the deficit to just one with 12 minutes left in the first half.
The momentum only grew stronger after this point. Sophomore guard Taj DeGourville converted a tough transition floater off the glass, giving the Aztecs a three-point lead and capping their 11-0 scoring run.
The Runnin’ Rebels stopped the bleeding and traded baskets with the Aztecs throughout the remainder of the half. Senior guard Reese Dixon-Waters knocked down his second triple of the game to get back in front. But with the final seconds ticking off the clock, Gibbs-Lawhorn drilled his fourth three to cut the deficit to three heading into halftime, 42-39.
“Lawhorn is as good a player as anyone in the country,” Dutcher said. “He made 32 look easy against us.”
After the shaky start, the Scarlet and Black’s defense settled into the game, holding the Rebels to 45.2% from the field. However, the most imperative stat of the half was the dead-even rebounding battle at 17 apiece, showcasing a true fight for boards. SDSU looked to pull away in this category in the second half, while keeping the UNLV offense from getting hot.
Back-to-back defensive takeaways from junior guard Miles Byrd got the crowd on their feet but he immediately went to the bench with apparent pain in his right calf. In a game tied at 48-48, having him on the court was crucial. He would later check back in with 13 minutes to play.
“He’s gonna sacrifice everything he has for his team and his people,” Davis said, referencing Byrd’s toughness. “I think that just speaks volume of his character as a human being, not even as a basketball player.”
Davis and DeGourville hit consecutive triples to regain the lead and momentum, forcing the Rebels to call a timeout. The break proved to work in UNLV’s favor as an and-1 layup knotted the game even for the ninth time.
From this point on, both teams refused to allow any scoring runs for the majority of the second half, with no lead extending more than five points by the four-minute mark. Davis continued his elite scoring night by knocking down a three at the top of the key to set a career-high, scoring 14 points in the last eight and a half minutes.
“March is for players and he stepped up in March basketball,” Dutcher said. “He knew he was rolling. He wanted to shoot it every time he got it and I was fine with that.”
With just over three minutes remaining, Gibbs-Lawhorn tied the game again after being fouled on a three-pointer. However, Davis snagged the lead right back for the Aztecs on another triple, extending his scoring even further.
Dixon-Waters drew a crucial foul in the right corner to earn three shots at the charity stripe and converted each one, giving the Aztecs a six-point lead with a little over a minute left. The Rebels scored a couple of quick buckets to cut the lead to two, but Davis converted two free throws to take another two-possession lead and eclipse 30 points on his own.
UNLV sent Dixon-Waters to the line once again, but he could only convert one this time. With no timeouts left, the ball was put in the Rebels’ leading scorer’s hand, but Davis saved the day on defense with a last-second steal on Gibbs-Lawhorn to seal the game, 89-86.
“I knew they needed a three and I knew nobody else would take a shot but him,” Davis said. “Just instinctual, just reach and I got it. Luckily, no foul.”
Davis led the way last night with a career-high of 30 points shooting 11-for-17 from the field, while Dixon-Waters tallied on an additional 19 points. The Aztecs as a unit shot 53.3% from the field and won the rebound battle 33-30, which was pivotal for tonight’s win after securing only 15 boards against Boise State in the last game.
Now all the Aztecs can do is wait, which, for a fairly beat-up team, is what they need most. The matchup of New Mexico and Utah State this afternoon will determine the final seedings ahead of the conference tournament. When that game concludes, SDSU will know its opponent and the time for its first postseason showdown.
“My team’s beat up, but I need to find a way to rest them for a couple days and come out with great energy on Monday as we prepare for the conference tournament,” Dutcher said.
