LAS VEGAS — The Scarlet and Black’s biggest consistency this season has been inconsistency. However, that reality no longer matters as every team in the Mountain West now starts fresh.
For the Aztecs, a win against UNLV last week provided some desperate momentum coming into the postseason after losing four of the last five outings. That statement cannot be echoed for last night’s opponent.
Colorado State came into the Mountain West Tournament as arguably the hottest team in the conference, having won nine of its last 10 matchups. SDSU would have its hands full trying to put out this unit’s fire; luckily, the classic, hard-nosed Aztec basketball came to play last night.
No. 2 San Diego State men’s basketball (21-10, 14-6 Mountain West) knocked off No. 7 Colorado State (21-12, 11-9 MW) in the conference tournament quarterfinal round, 71-62, Thursday night at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
“We needed this win desperately,” head coach Brian Dutcher said postgame. “This was a quality opponent on a neutral floor and we played well.”
Junior guard Miles Byrd finished a contested floater to get the Aztecs on the board first, but Colorado State answered with a pair of threes. Both units traded baskets throughout the first five minutes.
Colorado State guard Jace Butler drilled his first triple of the game to put the Aztecs in a five-point deficit early on. Sophomore guard Magoon Gwath checked into the game and made an impact immediately, after drawing a foul and finishing through contact.
Byrd followed that up with staggering defense on Butler, denying every three-point look on the next possession. Junior guard BJ Davis also made his presence known on the defensive side of the ball, forcing back-to-back turnovers, which translated to a fastbreak layup and a couple of free throws.
“Our defense is everything for us,” said sophomore forward Pharaoh Compton. “That’s our identity. Every time we go down and [don’t] let them score, that’s big-time.”
The travelling Aztec crowd erupted after Compton slammed home a putback dunk to give SDSU an 18-13 advantage. But the Rams put together a few key offensive possessions to put the lead back in their hands.
Byrd regained some momentum for the Aztecs with a steal from behind, then converted an and-1 on the other end with his off hand. Compton extended the lead to five after two offensive rebounds that resulted in easy finishes.
However, the run did not stop there. A mid-range jumper from Byrd and a top-of-the-key three from Gwath gave the Aztecs a 12-point lead, its largest thus far. SDSU finished the first half on an 11-0 run to head into the break with momentum in its corner, 39-27.
“I thought we got good looks. I thought we got what we wanted,” Byrd said. “We didn’t take forced ones, like we’ve done sometimes in the past.”
The iconic Aztec defense was in full force to start the game, holding the Rams to just 27 points on 32.1% shooting, along with seven steals and four blocks. The Scarlet and Black began making shots during their scoring run, but needed to find more of a rhythm in the second half after shooting 15-for-34 from the field and only 1-for-8 from behind the arc.
“They did a good job taking away the three, so we weren’t afraid to curl into the paint, drive into the paint, set ball screens and roll hard to the rim,” Dutcher said. “We still have a dangerous team able to win games without making the three, which is kind of rare in basketball.”
Coming out of the locker room, freshman forward Tae Simmons drove to the paint for a strong finish, then Byrd took it coast-to-coast for a crafty up-and-under layup through a Colorado State defender.
The Rams knocked down a couple of threes, keeping the deficit to no more than 15. But the Aztec defense continued to pay dividends after a forced jump ball that would give possession back to SDSU.
That possession was not taken for granted, as the Aztecs broke the Rams’ press with ease, which led to an alley-oop slam from junior forward Miles Heide on an assist from Simmons. Colorado State brought the lead to single digits, but that quickly tallied back up to 14 after consecutive buckets from senior guard Sean Newman Jr.
The Rams knocked down a clutch three-pointer and drew a foul on the next possession to bring the Aztecs’ lead to just eight with three and a half minutes to play. Senior guard Reese Dixon-Waters stopped the bleeding with a couple of much-needed free throws, but a Colorado State triple put the pressure back on SDSU.
“We came into the game knowing the type of offense they like to run,” Byrd said. “Pressure them on ball and take them out of the offense and make them uncomfortable.”
After going 1-for-6 from the charity stripe, Simmons converted four pivotal free throws that gave the Aztecs a cushion with a minute and a half left in the game. The Rams couldn’t get a shot to fall on their late-game opportunities, causing the foul game to begin.
Both Newman Jr. and Dixon-Waters made one free throw each, while Davis knocked down both. Colorado State turned the ball over with 16 seconds left, allowing the fouls to come to an end. Despite a hard-fought effort from the Rams, the Scarlet and Black held strong to secure the 72-61 victory.
Byrd led the way with 12 points, along with 11 points from both Compton and Dixon-Waters.
However, that wasn’t the story from tonight’s win. SDSU held the Rams to just 32.1% from the field on 6-for-23 shooting from inside the three-point line, while also dominating the rebound battle, 43-31. Not to mention, the Aztecs’ 42 points in the paint compared to Colorado State’s eight displayed clear dominance around the rim.
“We did a good job of walling up and not fouling at the rim,” Dutcher said. “We did a good job of trying to push [Rashaan] Mbemba further from the basket … He’s a big, strong guy in there.”
With the win, SDSU advances to the semifinals and will take on No. 3 seed New Mexico at 9 p.m. tonight at the Thomas & Mack Center.
