San Diego State needed a last-second shot to stave off a major upset by UC San Diego Friday and Jaedon LeDee made it happen as the Aztecs defeated the Tritons 63-62.
SDSU had to overcome a 14-point deficit as UCSD, hot from the three-point line, established a 57-43 lead with 7:36 to play.
But the Aztecs, powered by Lamont Butler, outscored the Tritons 20-5 down the stretch. Yet his final attempt, a three-pointer, was off-target. With two seconds left on the clock, LeDee, under pressure beneath the basket, grabbed the rebound and put it back in for the game winner.
With that – an exultant LeDee celebrated, embraced by an equally elated Elijah Saunders – SDSU (7-1) breathed a sigh of relief and padded its winning streak to six. UCSD (4-4), meanwhile, dropped its fourth in a row.
San Diego State didn’t have its first lead of the game until the beginning of the second half, and then not again until its conclusion.
First-half bragging rights went to UCSD, before a sellout crowd of 4,000 at LionTree Arena – the largest in program history – in part because the Aztecs’ leading scorers, LeDee and an ailing Reese Waters, combined for just nine points through the break.
The Tritons’ 31-30 lead mushroomed upon their return to the court, though Saunders drew first blood with a three that briefly gave the Aztecs a two-point advantage.
UCSD twice opened up 6-point leads, the latter coming on what amounted to a 6-point play. Bryce Pope made a three, but Micah Parrish pushed Francis Nwaokorie, leading to a flagrant foul. Nwaokorie made one of his two free throws and the Tritons snagged the rebound, prompting another bucket by Pope, this time on a jumper.
The Tritons then would capitalize on a five-minute scoring drought by SDSU to take what appeared to be a commanding 57-43 lead.
But LeDee broke through with a layup with 6:57 remaining, and Butler came up with a three and a layup of his own to cut the deficit to seven.
The Tritons had looks, but the shots didn’t fall, and SDSU, with 13 unanswered points, closed the gap to one, to trail 57-56 with 2:16 left.
A Hayden Gray three broke UCSD’s dry spell, then Saunders answered from long distance. A Pope jumper landed with :56 on the clock to give the Tritons a 62-59 lead, but LeDee came back with a layup to pull the Aztecs within one again.
Coming out of a UCSD timeout, Pope missed a three, and after two timeouts by SDSU, the Aztecs had the ball with seven seconds left and put it in Butler’s hands. But LeDee had the final say.
“Jaedon came up with most important play of the game off that rebound,” assistant coach Chris Acker told San Diego Sports 760.
Parrish led the Aztecs with 15 points and added 10 rebounds. LeDee and Saunders had 13 points each. Nwaokorie, Pope and Gray all had 15 for the Tritons.
SDSU next meets Grand Canyon in Phoenix, while UCSD stays at home to host Occidental. Both contests are set for 6 p.m. Tuesday.
