LAS VEGAS — Brian Dutcher’s younger group simply grew up.
“I knew I had group, however may we be good in November?” he stated Saturday night time. “It’s the final sport of November, and we’re fairly good.”
How good: With 5 new starters and a rotation that options three freshmen, the Aztecs surprised No. 6 Houston within the third-place sport of the Players Era Festival, coming from 11 down within the second half to drive extra time and win — sure, win — 73-70 on the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Which is their greatest regular-season victory since, properly, when?
The final time the Aztecs, who’re 1-19 all-time towards groups within the high 5 of the Associated Press ballot, beat No. 6 was 2019 towards Nevada. But that was at Viejas Arena in entrance of their rabid followers.
Before that, there was the 61-57 win at No. 16 Kansas in 2014 that snapped the Jayhawks’ 68-game nonconference win streak at Allen Fieldhouse.
Before that, the 79-76 victory at No. 11 Gonzaga within the Kennel that launched Kawhi Leonard and Aztecs basketball to the faculty basketball world.
Wherever Saturday ranks, as freshman ahead Pharaoh Compton put it, “This is huge for us.”
The Aztecs (4-2) led early, then trailed for greater than half-hour and had been left for useless down double digits towards what yearly ranks among the many greatest defenses in faculty basketball. They had been getting crushed on the glass. Their capturing proportion was within the low 30s. Leading scorers Nick Boyd and BJ Davis nonetheless had gooseeggs halfway by way of the second half.
There was no conceivable approach out.
Until, out of the blue, there was.
“We misplaced a whole lot of guys,” stated sophomore wing Miles Byrd, who had 18 factors, together with a pair of free throws that pressured extra time. “Lots of people in all probability thought we’re not as robust as we’ve at all times been. But it’s a Coach Dutcher-led group. We’re at all times going to be robust, we’re at all times going to play protection, we’re at all times going to rebound.
“I’m glad we had been capable of show tonight.”
It got here all the way down to this in OT: Magoon Gwath made one in every of two free throws for a three-point lead, and Houston referred to as timeout with 7.7 seconds left.
The Cougars (4-3) labored the ball to main scorer LJ Cryer, who dribbled towards Nick Boyd on the high of the important thing and fired a step-back 3 from 24 toes.
Rim. Buzzer.
Upset.
“Congratulations to Brian,” stated Houston coach Kelvin Sampson, whose program has the perfect file in Division I over the previous 5 seasons. “His children, I imply, they deserved to win.”
It made the MESA Foundation, SDSU basketball’s NIL collective, $150,000 richer for the third-place end within the inaugural eight-team occasion. That’s along with the $1 million every program’s collective obtained only for exhibiting up.
Houston obtained an additional $100,000 for fourth. The championship sport between No. 9 Alabama and Oregon was price $500,000 to the winner and $250,000 to the loser.
The Aztecs obtained breakout performances from their heretofore quiet entrance line, with 16 factors from Jared Coleman-Jones and 13 from Compton. They entered the day averaging 5.6 and 5.4 factors, respectively.
Sampson was requested if he anticipated that.
“Did you?” he replied. “I noticed the stat sheet. The Jones child was capturing off-the-bounce 3s. He made three of them, and that doesn’t embody the one he banked in (late in regulation). The offense appears rather a lot higher when that biscuit goes within the basket, that’s for certain.”
The downside was that Boyd and Davis, averaging a mixed 28.8 factors per sport heading into Saturday, had been each scoreless till 9 minutes left in regulation, when Boyd grabbed a rebound tipped to midcourt and raced in for a simple layup.
Ice, damaged. Boyd adopted that with a pair of 3-pointers en path to 12 factors, then Davis made a 3 of his personal because the Aztecs pulled inside some extent at 56-55.
They had been nonetheless down two with 19.7 seconds left after Houston ahead J’Wan Roberts, a 71.4% shooter from the road, missed the entrance finish of a one-and-one. Dutcher referred to as timeout and diagrammed a play to get Davis a 3 within the nook, which he obtained and missed as a defender crashed into him.
No whistle.
Byrd was purported to back-screen Gwath to the rim, then come out on the perimeter for a jumper if Davis wasn’t open. But as a result of the ball went to Davis within the nook, Byrd stayed on the alternative block and was in place for the rebound. He grabbed it and was fouled, then made each free throws to tie it with 13.4 seconds to go.
Houston’s Emanuel Sharp (23 factors) took the ultimate shot of regulation, a fall-away from the suitable baseline over Byrd that bounced off the again rim and we had extra time.
“Your offense is at all times higher towards groups that don’t guard,” stated Sampson, whose group shot 37.1% general however compensated with 17 offensive rebounds. “San Diego State is an effective defensive group. They bothered us tonight as a result of they pressured us to play approach an excessive amount of east and west. At some level you must get downhill, you must get north and south.
“Hats off to Brian and his group.”
What loomed on the hardest four-game nonconference stretch in SDSU program historical past ends at 2-2, with wins towards No. 21 Creighton (by 18 factors) and now the No. 6 Cougars.
“It serves San Diego State probably the most, after which it serves the Mountain West,” stated Dutcher, whose group opens the convention season Wednesday night time at Fresno State. “That’s how we’re a multi-bid league. You must win video games like this. Boise State beats Clemson, New Mexico beats UCLA. We must win these video games as a convention. This is the place the power comes.
“We did job constructing a resume within the nonconference.”
Notable
SDSU had a season-low seven turnovers.
• For a lot of the sport, the Aztecs had a double-digit deficit in rebounding however closed to 40-38 by the sport’s finish. Houston had 17 offensive boards, however SDSU really completed with an edge in second-chance factors (15-12).
• The Aztecs additionally had benefits in bench scoring (16-7), fast-break factors (7-0), factors within the paint (26-18) and factors off turnovers (12-7).
• Both groups shot it properly within the second half. Houston was 7 of 10 on 3s, SDSU 6 of 15 … Gwath elevated his nationwide lead in blocks with 5 extra, together with two on one Cougars possession. He now has 24 in six video games. Gwath additionally had the sport’s greatest plus/minus at plus-11 factors in his 27 minutes on the ground.
• SDSU went with a nine-man rotation, however Dutcher largely caught along with his starters – Boyd, Davis, Byrd, Gwath and Coleman-Jones – down the stretch and in extra time.
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