San Diego State fought back Saturday against New Mexico, but couldn’t sustain the surge, falling 68-61 at the Mountain West Men’s Basketball Championship in Las Vegas.
The Aztecs, seeking a second straight tournment title, didn’t take a lead until nearly eight minutes into the second half, but as they often do, they went cold. They ended the game going 1-of-14 from the field, while New Mexico beat them on the glass.
“We caused initial misses, but we didn’t finish it with rebounds and that’s the difference in the game,” head coach Brian Dutcher said.
Early on, SDSU (24-10) couldn’t beat back the dynamic duo of Jaelen House and Jamal Mashburn Jr., but JT Toppin did the job late for New Mexico (26-9) as the Lobos captured their first MW tournament title in a decade.
They also became the first team to play four straight games – they had an extra game in the first round as a lower seed, at No. 6 – and leave the tournament with the title.
House and Mashburn combined for 28 of New Mexico’s 36 points as the Lobos held a 36-30 lead at the break.
It had been as high as 14, but SDSU’s 10-2 run to close the half narrowed the gap. The Lobos had a handle on Jaedon LeDee, who didn’t attempt a shot until nearly 13 minutes had ticked off the clock. But he scored seven over four minutes in the late run, which was again capped by a play involving Darrion Trammell.
After House missed a layup, LeDee grabbed the rebound with 11 seconds left. Trammell – whose three-pointers as the half ended turned the tide for SDSU in their two tournament wins – took the ball up court and drove into the lane to feed Jay Pal for a dunk as time expired.
Pal led the Aztecs with eight points, but House had 15 to Mashburn’s 13. New Mexico also took advantage of San Diego State’s five turnovers, scoring 10 points. SDSU, however, gained nothing from the Lobos’ three miscues.
The momentum, though, unlike the UNLV and Utah State games, stayed with New Mexico as the second half began – at first.
Mashburn and House started where they left off – Mashburn made a three as the shot clock expired, then House, with a layup, pushed the lead back to 11.
Lamont Butler, though, answered with a three and San Diego State began to chip away, landing buckets while slowing New Mexico’s guards, particularly Mashburn.
LeDee hit a hookshot and a jumper, and the Lobos’ lead dwindled to two, at 41-39. Free throws by Mashburn and Mustapha Amzil padded it again, but when Reese Waters added a jumper and completed a three-point play after being fouled, he put the Aztecs ahead 44-43.
The outburst came with both Mashburn and House off the floor; coach Richard Pitino pulled House after he drew a technical for mouthing off to a referee. Mashburn collided with Miles Byrd, and taking the worst of it, needed treatment on the sideline.
Without them, New Mexico began a nearly nine-minute stretch in which the team failed to score a field goal. Meanwhile, after a flurry of free throws from both sides, and a three from Micah Parrish, San Diego established a slight lead, 57-53.
And the Aztecs, despite recent unsteady performances from the line, went 13-for-13 on their free throws in the second half, with 10 of them coming from LeDee.
Arguably, they could have had more, especially after Butler got pounded on a second-chance layup. There was no call, yet Waters promptly drew a whistle on the other end, putting House at the line. He hit both shots to tie the game at 59 and New Mexico didn’t look back.
Toppin took over in the final three minutes, with a steal, three rebounds and five points, including the second-chance layup that gave the Lobos the lead for good.
Dutcher called House, who scored 28 points, “sensational.” He was named tournament MVP, while LeDee made the all-tournament team.
Securing the title, and its automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, is a feather in the Lobos’ cap, but after a strong year of conference competition, the MW has long been expected to do well on Selection Sunday, placing up to six teams in the Big Dance.
San Diego State, despite the loss, is a lock, and simply awaits word – the announcement is set for 3 p.m. Sunday – of seeding decisions and matchups.
“You can’t take any games for granted this year in the league, and that’s kind of how it is in the tournament, so it was good preparation” LeDee said.
Meanwhile, LeDee, with 25 points, passed SDSU’s all-time single-season scoring record set 40 years ago. He now has 696 points, surpassing Michael Cage’s 686 set in 1983-84.
Updated 10 p.m. March 16, 2024
