Aztecs struggle shooting 

The San Diego State men’s basketball team shot 20 of 64 from the field (31.3 percent) in the 60-50 loss to the University of New Mexico in the semifinals of the Reese’s Mountain West Championship.

“We tried to spread the floor, but they do a good job of, when there is dribble penetration, of sinking, filling, making it hard for you to turn what maybe looks like a shot at the rim to a really, really difficult shot at the rim,” SDSU head coach Steve Fisher said.

To make matters worse, the Aztecs shot 23.8 percent (5 of 21) from 3-point range. Junior guard Xavier Thames was 0 of 3 from outside of the arc, while junior guard Jamaal Franklin and senior guard Chase Tapley were each 2 of 6.

New Mexico’s bigs are too much

Junior forward Cameron Bairstow and redshirt sophomore post Alex Kirk gave the Aztecs a difficult time.

New Mexico’s two big players combined for 31 points and 18 rebounds, with Bairstow scoring 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Kirk recording 15 points and grabbing seven rebounds.

“Their bigs are really good,” Franklin said. “Bairstow started off real hot. First half, I think he had 10 (points), 8 (rebounds)-dominating the glass. When you’re chasing good shooters around, it’s hard when they’re setting real
good screens.”

On the defensive side, Kirk recorded four blocks, but Kirk and Bairstow affected many others.

“Their bigs did give us trouble on our end,” Fisher said. “In situations against a lot of teams, we would get to the rim with a chance for baskets and/or fouls. And today, they made it hard. They made it hard for us to get shots on the rim with their length, with their size and
their aggressiveness.”

Snell’s Three 3-pointers

With the Lobos leading the Aztecs 34-22 with 17:11 left in the game, New Mexico Lobos junior guard Tony Snell hit a 3-pointer to give the team a 15-point lead.

Exactly 30 seconds later, Snell hit his second consecutive 3-pointer. Just like that, the Aztecs trailed by 18 points.

After a missed jumper by SDSU, Snell received the ball behind the 3-point line on New Mexico’s ensuing possession and hit his third consecutive 3-pointer to extend New Mexico’s run to 11-0 and give the Lobos a 21-point lead.

“I was trying to be aggressive,” Snell said. “I heard the crowd going, so that got me going. Kind of backed off of me, so I tried to shoot the ball and
stay aggressive.”