On Saturday, the San Diego State basketball team put it all on red in Las Vegas and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas ran away with the winnings. The Runnin’ Rebels extended their home winning streak to 12, as they defeated the Aztecs 72-70. This is the fourth time in five games that only two points separated the victor from the defeated.
Senior guard Chase Tapley hit two 3-pointers in the final stretch to keep the Aztecs in the game after the Rebels’ 14-0 run gave them a 10-point lead, the largest of the night.
Down only one point after a Tapley 3-pointer with 19 seconds left, the Aztecs regained possession on UNLV’s inbound pass with the chance to take the winning shot. Junior guard Jamaal Franklin received the ball at the top of the key on the ensuing play and drove to the basket. Hoping to create contact in the hopes of two free throws and a shot at the lead, Franklin was called for traveling.
“It was the same move I was doing the whole game, but I can’t make that judgment,” Franklin said. “The ref called the call and that’s it. I can’t bring it back and rewind it.”
The Aztecs were forced to foul UNLV’s Katin Reinhardt, who hit one of two free throws with 1.5 seconds left on the clock. The ensuing inbound pass was tipped and sophomore forward JJ O’Brien could not attempt a potentially game-winning shot in time.
This is SDSU’s second straight loss following a six-game winning streak in the Mountain West Conference, which stands as the best conference in men’s college basketball in the Ratings Percentage Index. The Aztecs are now tied for third place in the Mountain West with UNLV and Air Force.
Tapley finished with a game-high 22 points and grabbed six boards. O’Brien finished with a double-double, including 15 points, all of which were scored in the first half. Franklin added 11 points and five steals, but missed a game-tying three with 27 seconds left, leading to a foul and a four-point Rebel lead.
Injuries continue to plague the Aztecs as senior guard James Rahon left the game with a sprained right shoulder and never returned.
Tapley stressed the difficulties of not having Rahon’s veteran presence.
“It was very tough,” Tapley said. “He got hurt in the first three minutes. His outside shooting, his shots, we just missed his presence and his outside shooting.”
UNLV freshman forward Anthony Bennett put on the performance of a future NBA first-round draft pick with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Bennett was four of five from behind the 3-point arc.
And sophomore forward Khem Birch also had a big game for the Rebels, with 16 points and five blocks.
“I’m proud of how we competed,” SDSU head coach Steve Fisher said. “We put ourselves even in the end, when it looked like we couldn’t with two or three plays, ball down one and with a minute or two before that we were down eight or nine or six or whatever it was. And we just didn’t finish it. I wish Jamaal (Franklin) would have attacked the rim quicker, but he didn’t, and we didn’t.”
This is the first time in 30 games that the Aztecs have lost when leading at halftime.
SDSU is in search of redemption at 7 p.m. on Tuesday when it hosts Wyoming at Viejas Arena. The Aztecs lost the first matchup against Wyoming 58-45.
