San Diego State found itself in a dogfight Friday at Nevada, and pulled ahead in overtime, but could not hold on, falling 70-66.
The No. 24 Aztecs led by four in OT, but the Wolf Pack, thanks to Kenan Blackshear and Tre Coleman, knocked off a ranked team for the second-straight game, a first for the program. They also broke the tie for first atop the Mountain West, with SDSU slipping behind Utah State, Boise State and New Mexico.
The Aztecs had late looks – Darrion Trammell missed from long distance in the game’s waning seconds, as did Micah Parrish when the score was tied at 66.
“You gotta make shots if you want to win,” head coach Brian Dutcher told San Diego Sports 760.
Defense was the name of the game as two of the MW’s best clashed in a bruising, physical contest that led to 11 fouls on each side in the first half alone.
The Aztecs (18-6, 7-4 MW) got off to a slow start, trailing by seven early, their only points coming on a three by Lamont Butler off a feed by Parrish.
SDSU had two chances at the close of the half, but Parrish was off target. The Wolf Pack (19-5, 6-4 MW) also could have scored with less than a second on the clock, but Jazz Gardner, fouled by Miles Heide, missed both free throws, leaving the Aztecs trailing 30-27 at the break.
Nevada contained Jaedon LeDee early. For more than 13 minutes, he had just one field-goal attempt, then finally broke through with a jumper to make it 17-13 Wolf Pack.
San Diego State also had eight turnovers in the half, but gave as good as it got, forcing Nevada into 11.
The Wolf Pack managed to stay just ahead of the Aztecs when play resumed until SDSU, with under seven minutes remaining, tied the game at 46.
After going back and forth, Jay Pal gave San Diego State its first lead of the game with a free throw to complete a three-point play after a K.J. Hymes foul.
Hymes fouled out on the play, but two minutes later, so did Butler, leaving SDSU without one of its surest hands.
Trammel hit two free throws to match the Aztecs’ biggest lead in regulation, 59-56, with 1:01 left. But Jarod Lucas made a pair of free throws – though the Wolf Pack were shaky from the line down the stretch – to pull Nevada within one.
Yet LeDee faltered too, making just one of two free throws with 24 seconds left, giving Nevada an opening. Nick Davidson took advantage, and after a miss by Blackshear, tied up the game at 60.
After an SDSU timeout, the Wolf Pack locked down Trammell, who got the ball to LeDee, but time had expired by the time the conference’s leading scorer launched an off-target jumper.
SDSU jumped out to a four-point lead in OT thanks to free throws and a jumper by LeDee, but Blackshear responded immediately and with two layups and a jumper, put his Wolf Pack up 66-64.
Parrish would knot it up again, downing two free throws, but Coleman, off an assist by Blackshear, gave his team the lead with 12 seconds left and the Aztecs couldn’t answer.
Lucas led all scorers with 22 while LeDee finished with 20 points.
With the loss, SDSU split their games with Nevada on the year, after taking the teams’ first meeting last month 71-59.
San Diego State returns home to face Colorado State (19-5, 7-4 MW) at 6 p.m. Tuesday, and the Aztecs, Dutcher told Sports 760, “can’t sit here and fret” over what happened in Reno.
“It’s just game after game in this league,” he said.
