Exhale.
The game that San Diego State’s basketball team absolutely had to have, it got.
The 80-61 Senior Night win at Viejas Arena on Saturday against a beat-up and beat-down Nevada team didn’t change the time or opponent in the Mountain West tournament, only that they Aztecs will wear home whites at the No. 4 seed Thursday instead of road darks against Boise State. But it did lessen the need to win the thing and claim the conference’s automatic NCAA berth.
The Aztecs consolidated their chances for an at-large invitation in a week where several teams lost that were closing fast in the rearview mirror. Beating Boise State on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center would add another layer of comfort, but they might – emphasis on might – be in the 68-team field no matter what happens in Las Vegas.
“That was a must-win game for us,” senior forward Jared Coleman-Jones said. “These next few games moving forward, we’re not planning on losing. Getting a win like that at home, it just gives us a lot of momentum.”
“The whole night,” fellow senior Wayne McKinney III said, “was picture perfect.”
It meant two things.
It meant they didn’t lose another home game, closing the regular season 21-8 overall and tied for fourth in the Mountain West at 14-6 (one fewer conference loss than last year, when they would reach the Sweet 16).
It also meant a modest metrics bump – the weakest part of SDSU’s NCAA resume – thanks to a lopsided margin of victory in a game they were projected to win by seven points. (They went from 47 to 43 in Kenpom.)
Exactly as coach Brian Dutcher planned, or at least hoped.
Asked about his team’s mood following Tuesday’s 74-67 loss at UNLV that dropped it back on the bubble, Dutcher said: “Hopefully, it’s ornery and ready to get back and compete on Saturday. They know what’s on the line. They know how they have to play.”
And they did play that way, not committing a turnover for the opening 12½ minutes and leading by 27.
Halftime score: 43-21.
“To set the tone like that in the first half, in kind of what is a must-win game for us,” senior Kimo Ferrari said, “that speaks to all the work we’ve put in for the past couple months. I mean, you saw a defensive masterclass. That first half was special to watch.”
The Aztecs stretched the lead to 28 early in the second half, then dozed off as the Wolf Pack halved that.
Viejas Arena groaned. Here we go …
The spark came from a most unlikely source: Miles Heide at the free throw line.
The sophomore forward entered the night 5 of 22 this season (22.7%) and now was at the line for a one-and-one with 9:27 left.
Swish.
Swish.
That re-energized the Viejas crowd. It really got loud on the next possession, when, with three seconds left on the shot clock and a baseline inbounds, Nick Boyd ed to Pharaoh Compton in the left corner, took a handoff from him and launched a contested 3.
Swish.
Next possession: Compton extended his endless arms to tip an offensive rebound to himself, then flew in for a layup.
Timeout, Nevada.
Boyd led the Aztecs with 18 points on an efficient 7 of 10 shooting. Heide finished with 14 on 5 of 5 shooting that included, yes, a swished 3 from the right corner with 1:59 left that was the first of his career and was greeted with absolute pandemonium among the Viejas faithful who hadn’t made a mad dash for the parking garage. Compton had 13 points after going 3 of 6 from the line, which will raise his free-throw percentage (34.1% entering the night).
BJ Davis (10) gave them a fourth double-digit scorer, and Miles Byrd and Wayne McKinney III each added eight.
The Aztecs shot 54.5%, making it 103 straight wins when shooting 50% or better. They had a 36-18 advantage in points in the paint, 20-8 in points off turnovers and 25-6 in bench scoring.
But they were at or under 60 percent from the line for a third straight game (10 of 18, 55.6%) and were outrebounded for a fifth straight time.
Tyler Rolison had 19 points for the Wolf Pack (16-15, 8-12), who was without injured starters Tre Coleman and Daniel Foster. Leading scorer Kobe Sanders, a Christian High alum, didn’t make a basket until the second half and finished with 13 points.
“We wanted to make sure we established our defensive pressure right away,” said Dutcher, whose team also beat Nevada by 19 in Reno on Jan. 25. “They’re a really good offensive team. They run some good stuff. Anything we could do to disrupt their timing a little bit, we wanted to try to do – pressure the ball so the es weren’t maybe on time, on target every time down the floor. We created some turnovers that led to some fast-break basket.
“A good offensive performance, and you couple that with good defense, and you come out here with a nice team victory. Proud of our effort. Proud of the way we bounced back again after a loss.”
The Aztecs are now 3-2 without Magoon Gwath, counting the Feb. 22 loss at Utah State when he hyperextended his right knee in the opening minutes. He has been shooting on the side during practice and, Dutcher said, has been cleared to run on a special treill that reduces your full body weight.
It remains unclear whether he’ll be available in Las Vegas, or in what capacity. Dutcher said the swelling in the knee is down, but his calf has tightened.
“He hasn’t done anything in two weeks,” Dutcher said, “so we have to start getting him in game shape and see how it responds when he starts doing extra stuff. Our intention is to try to bring him back if he’s healthy, whether it’s the Mountain West tournament on Thursday or, God willing if we get in, for the NCAA Tournament.
“Our intention is to have Magoon back this season.”
Notable
The top five seeds in the Mountain West tournament, which get a bye to the quarterfinals: New Mexico (1), Colorado State (2), Utah State (3), SDSU (4), Boise State (5). The SDSU-Boise State winner likely would face regular-season champion New Mexico in the Friday semis.
• With his second 3 of the night, Nevada senior Xavier DuSell ed Boise State’s Justinian Jessop as the Mountain West’s career leader in made 3s with 326. DuSell, who also played at Wyoming and Fresno State, is in his fifth season. Jessop played only four years for a single school.
• Nevada coach Steve Alford has been stuck on 699 career victories for three games.
• Assuming the Aztecs make the NCAA Tournament instead of hosting an NIT game, this was the final home radio broadcast by Ted Leitner, who is retiring after the season.
• During a first-half timeout, Blenders Eyewear presented a $100,000 check to the MESA Foundation, SDSU’s basketball NIL collective.
