LAS VEGAS — In a game that felt too tense to breathe through and too fitting to end any other way, San Diego State turned once again to the two things it trusts most: its defense and BJ Davis with the ball in his hands.

And just before midnight inside Thomas & Mack Center, both delivered.

With the score tied and the shot clock off, Davis sized up his defender, saw a crease on the right side and did what he has made a habit of doing in the biggest moments. He drove hard to the rim, kissed a layup off the glass with two seconds left and lifted No. 2 seed San Diego State to a 64-62 win over No. 3 seed New Mexico in the Mountain West tournament semifinals on Friday night.

“We knew we needed one shot, so just kind of waited until the time went down,” Davis said. “Wanted to drive to the basket; didn’t really want to shoot. You kind of put that pressure on the defense and the ref, so just drove to the basket and made a bucket.”

It was the latest chapter in one of the conference’s most physical, dramatic rivalries, and it looked exactly like the previous two meetings this season: bruising, narrow and decided in the final seconds.

“Just another epic battle between San Diego State and New Mexico,” head coach Brian Dutcher said. “All three games were that way this year. We made a timely basket to beat them at our place, they got us at their place, and then this was an epic battle between the two teams that have the most Mountain West titles between us.”

The reward for surviving it was enormous. San Diego State advanced to the conference championship game for the 17th time in program history and the eighth time in nine seasons under Dutcher.

But the victory demanded nearly everything the Aztecs had left.

The game tipped late, finished later and demanded every possession from both teams. There were 10 lead changes, seven ties and no room for comfort. Neither side led by more than six. Every rebound became a wrestling match. 

And when the game needed a closer, San Diego State cleared the floor and trusted Davis.

“Feel like it’s just a testament to all the work that we’ve put in,” Davis said. “I can’t do it without my teammates being in the right spot and space out so I can get a look like that.”

While Davis delivered the decisive moment, Magoon Gwath powered much of San Diego State’s offense throughout the night.

The 7-foot forward emerged as one of the game’s most impactful players, finishing with 17 points and providing a steady presence on both ends of the floor.

Gwath’s performance came at a crucial moment for San Diego State, which has dealt with injuries and lineup changes throughout the season.

Defense, however, remained the backbone of the Aztecs’ performance.

San Diego State held New Mexico to just 32.8% shooting and limited one of the conference’s most dangerous scorers, Jake Hall, to just three points on 1-of-10 shooting.

Dutcher pointed to Reese Dixon-Waters as the key to that effort.

“I think the unsung hero for the game is Reese Waters, because he’s the one that was primarily in charge of staying on Hall,” Dutcher said. “He did an elite job.”

New Mexico still battled inside, collecting 20 offensive rebounds and repeatedly attacking the rim. But San Diego State prevented those second chances from turning into major damage.

The Lobos finished with only nine second-chance points.

Still, New Mexico nearly stole the game late.

Deyton Albury drove to the basket and tied the game with a layup in the final seconds, setting up the dramatic final possession.

“I knew the game wasn’t over,” Albury said. “I also knew what BJ was capable of just because of what he’s been doing all season. Didn’t want to get too high in that moment. Just wanted to calm down and get a stop, but unfortunately, I didn’t.”

After Davis’ layup put San Diego State ahead, New Mexico had one last opportunity.

A final desperation attempt fell short, sealing the Aztecs’ narrow victory and sending them to the conference championship game.

For New Mexico head coach Eric Olen, the loss was painful but reflected how closely contested the matchup had been all season.

“Obviously a disappointing result,” Olen said. “Congrats to San Diego State. I thought that was a pretty good college basketball game. Obviously, our locker room is disappointed to come out on the wrong end of that, but really proud of our effort.”

San Diego State now advances to face Utah State today at 3 p.m. with a chance to secure the conference’s automatic NCAA tournament berth.