December 20, 1998
SAN DIEGO (AP) - Dana White sank the second of two free-throw tries with 1.7 seconds left to lift San Diego past San Diego State 52-51 in a meeting of crosstown rivals Saturday night.
Matt Watts hit a 3-pointer to tie it 51-51 with 30 seconds to go, culminating a San Diego State comeback from a 49-42 deficit. But then Watts fouled White driving to the basket in the Toreros' final attempt to score.
The Toreros (6-2) recorded their fourth straight victory and their fifth in the last six encounters with San Diego State, all since 1990. It was the third straight loss for the Aztecs (1-8), who are off to the school's poorest start since going 1-9 to open the 1985-86 season.
Ryan Williams scored 18 points to lead San Diego, hitting seven of 10 shots from the field. White had six points while setting game-highs with eight rebounds and five assists.
San Diego used six straight points to build its 49-42 lead with 5:20 left. But the Toreros then managed only a field goal by Williams with 1:42 to go, allowing San Diego State to come back to tie.
Watts scored 18 points, connecting on eight of 20 attempts, while Myron Epps added 11 points for San Diego State. The Aztecs shot just 39 percent from the field (23 of 59).
The Toreros mounted a 12-2 surge to open the second half, concluding with two free throws by Brock Jacobsen on a technical foul assessed Aztecs coach Fred Trenkle. Jacobsen and Williams also hit consecutive 3-pointers during the run to put the Toreros ahead.
The Aztecs used a 9-0 run, helped by two steals and another San Diego turnover, to move ahead 15-8 at six minutes into the game. After leading 25-18 with 7:20 before halftime, the Aztecs went scoreless for six minutes but still managed a 27-24 halftime lead.
San Diego committed 28 turnovers, 14 in each half.