LAS VEGAS – Second seeded San Diego State outlasted the third seeded Lobos of New Mexico behind a thrilling 64-62 victory and will advance to their seventeenth Mountain West Championship game. The Aztecs’ victory is their twenty-second win of the season and marks their second win against New Mexico. SDSU will face off against top seeded Utah State for a chance to secure the programs final Mountain West Tournament trophy.
From the tip the Aztec’s defense was dynamic behind a pair of Sean Newman Jr. steals that led to quick buckets in transition. Throughout the first 17 minutes of action neither team could create separation, until there was under four minutes on the clock. A Magoon Gwath and-1 pushed the Aztec’s lead to five while three BJ Davis free throws and a Taj Degourville layup closed out the half. The Lobos free throw shooting cut the lead to two before a last second Davis layup sent SDSU into the break with a 37-34 lead.
San Diego State maintained a small lead for the first 13 minutes of the second half before consecutive layups by Luke Haupt and Deyton Albury put New Mexico ahead by one. Strong second half performances by Gwath and Tae Simmons kept the Aztec’s offense in the game down to the closing seconds. With only 25 seconds left and the score tied, BJ Davis sized up his defender and drove to the right side of the hoop. Despite multiple defenders at the rim Davis converted the layup giving SDSU a lead with 2.1 seconds left with what would ultimately be the game winning shot.
Magoon Gwath paced San Diego State with a team high 17 points on 60 percent shooting from the floor. He also blocked a pair of shots and knocked down a pair of threes. Davis also stuffed the stat sheet with six assists to tie his career high, along with six rebounds and three steals. In just his second career start freshman Tae Simmons came away with a near double-double, pulling down eight rebounds and chipping in eight points on 4-of-5 shooting from the floor.
San Diego State’s defense once again was stellar limiting the Lobos to just a 33 percent shooting percentage. They held New Mexico’s leading scorer, Jake Hall, to just 1-of-10 shooting from the floor while also scoring 12 points off 11 New Mexico turnovers. The Aztec’s continued to control the paint winning the interior scoring battle 32-22. Four different players pulled down at least six rebounds, and three players swiped at least two steals.
UP NEXT
San Diego State is primed to return to the championship game for the eighth time in the last nine seasons. The Utah State Aggies await them as the top two seeds will face off for the third time this season. The programs split the regular season series with each team winning on their home court, including SDSU securing a 17-point victory on Steve Fisher Court. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. PST inside Thomas & Mack Center and will be broadcast on CBS.