The San Diego State men’s basketball team was predicted to finish fourth in the 2013-14 Mountain West preseason media poll, but SDSU is proving everyone wrong as the Aztecs keep on winning.
It took overtime for SDSU to fend off the Utah State University Aggies in a tight 74-69 road victory on Saturday, Jan. 25 in Logan, Utah. This marked the Aztecs 17th straight victory of the season.
It didn’t come easy for SDSU as the Aggies kept a competitive game throughout. In the first half, the Aztecs shot 33 percent from the field, but maintained a 28-24 advantage at the half.
SDSU never really put USU away in this one until the final buzzer at the end of overtime. The Aztecs were outscored 33-29 in the second half with a lift from senior forward Spencer Butterfield who led the charge for the Aggies with 19 points and eight rebounds.
It looked as if the Aztecs were going to win holding a 57-54 lead with 16 seconds remaining. However, Butterfield nailed a 3-point shot over junior forward JJ O’Brien from the right wing with two seconds remaining to tie the game at 57, forcing overtime.
Senior guard Xavier Thames had a night to remember scoring a career high of 31 points leading all scores. Ten of his points came in the overtime period.
His biggest moment couldn’t have come at a better time, when SDSU needed a bucket clinging onto a 63-62 lead with less than two minutes left to play. Thames nailed a 3-point shot with 51 seconds left giving the Aztecs a 66-62 advantage, which seemed to be too much for the Aggies to overcome. From there, SDSU held the ball as it knocked down eight of its last 10 free throws to seal this victory.
After the game, head coach Steve Fisher couldn’t be any prouder of his team’s victory in USU’s hostile environment.
[quote]“This is what you’re going to have when you get on the road. This is college basketball anywhere,” Fisher said. “This is my first trip here and it’s an incredible atmosphere. They have fans a lot like ours, who are so supportive of their team.”[/quote]
On the week of Jan. 20, The Associated Press Top 25 and USA Today Coaches polls ranked SDSU as the No. 7 team in the nation. With losses from No. 3 Michigan State University, and No. 4 Villanova University this week, it’s safe to say that the Aztecs will move up in national rankings. Perhaps, SDSU may be ranked a top five national program this week.
After this hard-fought road victory, SDSU returns home to face Colorado State University at 4:05 p.m. this Saturday at Viejas Arena. Students can pick up tickets for Saturday’s home game as early as Jan. 27, according to goaztecs.com.
Photo by Jenna Mackey, senior staff photographer
