San Diego State Basketball in Las Vegas Leaves Colorado State Behind, Advances in Mountain West Tournament
San diego state basketball moved a step closer to extending its season Thursday night in Las Vegas, beating Colorado State 71-62 in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West tournament at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Arena. The win put the No. 2-seeded Aztecs into a Friday semifinal against New Mexico, scheduled for 9: 00 pm ET.
Defense And Rebounding Set The Tone In Quarterfinal Win
San Diego State’s path to the win leaned on a familiar formula that had shown up again in recent games: defense and rebounding. The Aztecs held Colorado State to 33. 3% shooting and limited the Rams to 21 fewer points than they scored in an 83-74 win against San Diego State at Moby Arena about 2½ weeks earlier.
On the glass, San Diego State finished with a 43-31 rebounding edge, a notable swing from nine days earlier when Boise State dominated the Aztecs 37-15. The combined impact showed up most clearly inside: Colorado State managed only six two-point baskets over 40 minutes and was outscored 42-8 in the paint.
Free-Throw Struggles Nearly Shift The Closing Minutes
The finishing stretch turned tense after Colorado State cut into a 16-point deficit, helped by an intentional-fouling approach used against the Aztecs earlier in the season. With 3: 27 left, the Rams began targeting Miles Heide, described as a career 42. 6% free-throw shooter. Heide missed the front end of a one-and-one, and CSU guard Brandon Rechsteiner later hit a three-pointer to pull the margin to seven.
San Diego State countered by substituting Tae Simmons for Heide, but the Rams fouled Simmons as well. The pressure at the line continued across multiple possessions, reaching Magoon Gwath and then Sean Newman Jr., who entered the game 27 of 30 at the stripe on the season.
Overall, the Aztecs went 22 of 42 on free throws, compared with Colorado State’s 11 of 13. The 42 attempts marked the most by a San Diego State team in a regulation game in 23 years, and the gap between attempts was described as the largest differential in the 27-year history of the Mountain West tournament.
Despite the misses, San Diego State continued to produce stops defensively down the stretch, preventing the free-throw issues from turning into a late collapse.
San Diego State Basketball Advances To Friday Night Semifinal
The victory improved the Aztecs to 18-1 in their last 19 Mountain West quarterfinals and lifted them to 21-10 on the season. Next comes a semifinal matchup with New Mexico, which reached the same round after a 93-77 win over San Jose State in Thursday’s late game that did not end until 11: 00 pm ET.
Thursday’s quarterfinal also offered a clear snapshot of what San Diego State can withstand when its defense and rebounding are controlling the game: the Aztecs went 1 of 11 from three-point range and still won with breathing room, even as the Rams tried to exploit the free-throw line. For San Diego State, the immediate focus now turns to carrying the same defensive edge into Friday night’s semifinal.
