LAS VEGAS — The Aztecs were within striking distance of another conference tournament title Saturday, but a decisive late sequence propelled Utah State and the Aggies pulled away late on their way to winning the tournament championship, 73-62.
In a game that was tight for much of the afternoon, a five-point play late in the second half proved to unravel the Aztecs and allow Utah State to stretch just a four-point lead to nine. They held on from there, sending San Diego State to a frustrating finish to their final year in the conference they were a founding member of.
By the looks of each school’s organized student/supporter sections inside the Thomas & Mack Center you would’ve thought the Aggies were the charter conference members. But I digress, this was in fact SDSU’s 17th time reaching the championship game—maybe they are just used to it.
Paint it Blue
SDSU’s Brian Dutcher credited Utah State’s victory to their success inside the paint while lamenting the momentum swing that ultimately decided the game.
“First of all, congratulations to coach Calhoun and Utah State,” Dutcher said. “Regular season champs and postseason champs. That’s hard to do. But they did it with great efficiency.”
Dutcher said the Aggies controlled the areas San Diego State had emphasized entering the matchup.
“We knew the whole game was going to be decided in the paint and they got in the paint more than we did,” he said. “They lived in the paint, made plays from the paint, and then made timely jump shots.”
For much of the game, neither team really created much separation. The largest lead was just six points until the final stretch and both teams battled fatigue after multiple games in as many days during the tournament. The Aztecs late emotionally draining night seemed to take a little more juice.
Scoring and Defending
Guard Reese Dixon-Waters paced San Diego State offensively with 20 points, finding rhythm by staying focused on the present rather than forcing opportunities.
“Just letting the game come to me and just trying to lock in on the defensive end,” Dixon-Waters said. “Something that I’ve been trying to work on — not being so caught up in what could happen in the future and just being present in the moment.”
Still, the Aztecs struggled to create the defensive disruption that has defined their identity for years. San Diego State opened the game with a steal and score but failed to generate another takeaway the rest of the way, a testament to Utah State’s ball security.
“They did a really good job of taking care of the ball,” guard Miles Byrd said. “Six turnovers in a 40-minute game is a recipe to win.”
Byrd, the league’s defensive player of the year, is known for his activity in passing lanes, and said Utah State’s approach forced him to adjust his defensive strategy early in the game.
“Obviously we like to play in the passing lanes, especially me,” Byrd said. “But right after I got that steal, I think I got back cut twice in a row. So I had to adjust how I was going to guard going forward.”
The Late Show
Fatigue may also have played a role. The Aztecs finished a late semifinal the previous night and returned to their hotel after midnight before preparing for the title game.
“You don’t want to blame fatigue,” Byrd said, “but we got back to our hotel at 12:30 last night. Three games in a row. They just looked like the more fresh team in the second half.”
Certainly these are the perks of being the #1 seed in the regular season. If the late game time of the previous night’s game was a factor, it was a well deserved one on the part of the Aggies.
On the flipside, having a late 9pm tip off time on a Friday night also allowed many SDSU fans to make the short trip to Las Vegas and be there in attendance. In both games the Aztecs played however they seemed to be the visiting fan base when measured up in noise and visuals.
As the game entered winning time, Utah State continued to attack the interior. MJ Collins had a team high 20 points, 3 steals and 4 big three point field goals. The crowd got behind their team with each big bucket he made.
“They made more plays,” Byrd said. “Got to the paint, dropped off to the big dunks, layups, offensive rebounds. They just made more winning plays than we did.”
What’s Next
Despite the loss, San Diego State’s run to the championship game demonstrated the team’s resilience during a demanding week in Las Vegas. Earning another trip to the title game proves this program is still on track as years prior. Losing another championship game also indicates they have work left to do this off season.
“It was a hard-fought game,” Dutcher said. “We’re disappointed. We wanted to win in the worst way and put ourselves in a position to do that.”
Instead, the Aztecs were left reflecting on the narrow margins that often decide championship games and hearing your name called on selection Sunday.
And so ends SDSU’s domination of the Mountain West Conference.
9 MW Season Championships
17 MW Tournament Championship Games
7 MW Tournament Championships
14 NCAA Appearances
4 Sweet Sixteens
1 Final Four
The NCAA Tournament is still possible for this years team. But if not, it’s time to regroup & retool for the Pac-12.
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One Response
100% scheduling is to blame. Another reason to validate leaving the MWC. Having a semifinal end at midnight then expect the winner to have anything left in the tank for noon Championship is 100% malpractice by MWC Tournament organizers. Shame on those asshats. Good riddens the MWC!