The two top teams tied for first place in the Mountain West Conference met on Saturday with just one game left of the regular season.

For the Aztecs, Saturday marked the final home game, senior night and a “winner take all” for the MWC crown. What had been a magical season by the Associated Press No. 10 San Diego State Aztecs became even more incredible after SDSU was picked by conference media to finish in fourth place this season.

In the game for all the marbles, the Aztecs rallied and overcame a 16-point deficit in front of a hostile sold-out Viejas Arena as they defeated the AP No. 21 University of New Mexico Lobos 51-48 to claim the 2014 MWC championship title.

After the victory, head coach Steve Fisher explained the significance of his team’s comeback, and where this game ranks in his coaching career.

[quote]“I’ve been a part of some really good wins … but never have I been more proud with the way we fought, and were able to cut this (2014 MWC title) net down. It was incredible,” Fisher said. “I’ve been a part of some comebacks, but I don’t know if I’ve ever been a part of one like this … as meaningful as this one was.”[/quote]

In the first half, both teams traded baskets for the most part, but the Lobos landed the last punch completing an 8-0 run heading into the half. In a low-scoring first period, SDSU trailed New Mexico 26-20.

However, the Aztecs’ comeback didn’t come easy in the second period. Trailing 26-25 to the Lobos, New Mexico went on a huge 15-0 run started by senior guard Kendall Williams who dunked the ball on an open breakaway off sophomore forward Winston Shepard’s missed shot. Eventually, the Aztecs found themselves down 41-25, needing to regroup and go on their own run to get back into this game.

Trailing by 16 called for SDSU to change its defense to a 1-3-1 zone, which eventually bothered the Lobos in the second half as they turned the ball over 10 times. The Aztecs also completed 10 of their 14 total steals in the second half.

[quote]“We practice it every day. We work on it each and every day and I think that caught them off guard,” senior guard Xavier Thames said. “That was the plan—just play the 1-3-1 (zone).”[/quote]

SDSU ended the game on a remarkable 26-7 run in the final 12:05 to seal the MWC title.

On his senior night, Thames finished with a team high 23 points and five steals. Senior forward Josh Davis finished with six points and a team high nine rebounds. As part of senior night, both Thames and Davis were recognized before the game and were given a framed Aztecs’ jersey with their names and numbers on them. This marked the final home game for both players’ SDSU careers.

When asked after the game if that was a typical senior night, Thames couldn’t help but laugh before his response.

“Yeah, it was a hard fought game. I’m just glad we got the win,” Thames said. “I’m blessed, just really blessed.”

When the final buzzer went off, fans rushed the court to celebrate the conference championship title after getting revenge on the Lobos from a loss two weeks ago in New Mexico. The Aztecs concluded the regular season with a 27-3 (16-2 MW) record, while the Lobos fell to 24-6 (15-3 MW).

To being picked fourth to finish the conference, from beginning the season unranked, SDSU is the only current team to have defeated the No. 8 Kansas University Jayhawks on the road this season, and finds itself as a top 10 ranked team in the nation to end college basketball’s regular season. Somewhere, the Aztecs may be wondering why they haven’t been deserving of more national attention after just completing an unforgettable championship regular season that no one saw coming. Being mostly seen as an underdog to the national media, coach Fisher may have made SDSU a national title contender this season. It’s tough to doubt a team that’s been ranked as high as No. 5 in the nation before.  Somewhere, Fisher may be secretly asking his team “why not us?”

As the regular season comes to an end, SDSU is off to the MWC tournament in Las Vegas. The Aztecs will next play on Thursday, March 13 at the MW Championship Quarterfinals at noon PT. The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network, and the opponent yet to be determined.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMGzDC-9Tlk]

Photo and video by Kevin Serrano, staff photographer.