Utah State Aggies guard Steven Ashworth (3) watches as San Diego State celebrates after successful the Mountain West Convention Basketball Event Championship at UNLV’s Thomas and Mack Heart in Las Vegas on Saturday, March 11, 2023. San Diego State gained 62-57. Scott G Winterton, Deseret Information
LAS VEGAS — Utah State basketball followers are usually not going to wish to hear this, however BYU basketball followers can really feel their ache, after the Aggies merely ran out of gasoline and had been downed 62-57 by San Diego State within the Mountain West championship recreation Friday at Thomas & Mack Heart.
Twelve years in the past, an impressive BYU crew that had celebrity Jimmer Fredette however was with out Brandon Davies skilled the unbelievable depth that SDSU all the time appears to own. Kawhi Leonard and Billy White mixed for 41 factors and the Aztecs acquired revenge for 2 regular-season losses to the Cougars with a 72-54 trouncing on the similar venue the place SDSU once more hoisted the championship trophy and reduce down the nets Saturday.
“It's robust, as a result of each possession issues in a recreation like this. So to have that one taken away, it's robust. There have been numerous different performs within the recreation that if we glance again at in our coronary heart of hearts we want may have gone otherwise. However that was a bit troublesome to take.” — USU guard Steven Ashworth on a wiped-away 3-pointer.
The Aggies (27-6) can discover solace in the truth that they had been way more aggressive a dozen years later, pushing No. 20 SDSU to the wire in entrance of a pro-Aztecs crowd in Sin Metropolis.
“They're very robust, they're very deep, they're very bodily, they're identical to a well-rounded bunch,” stated Utah State coach Ryan Odom, heaping reward on the MW’s regular-season champion that downed USU 3 times this yr. “They maintain coming at you. They play off one another rather well. Simply, no weaknesses.”
San Diego State improved to 27-6 and seems to be poised for an honest NCAA Event run. The Aggies imagine they're additionally headed to the Large Dance, particularly after they downed one other NCAA-bound crew, Boise State, 72-62, in Friday’s late semifinal.
“We all know we're going to be taking part in one other recreation,” stated Odom. “At the very least, we all know that.”
If the Aggies are overlooked of March Insanity, it might be a crying disgrace. With a NET rating of 20, they need to even have the ability to keep away from a First-4 recreation in Dayton.
“I'm very assured within the collective toughness this crew has,” stated junior guard Steven Ashworth, who reported to have gotten 4 and a half hours of sleep Friday evening.
Clearly, the three p.m. (native time) tipoff favored the deeper Aztecs.
For if the Aggies have a weak point, it's their lack of depth.
Ashworth, who scored a team-high 13 factors, however wanted 13 pictures to get there, stated he didn’t imagine fatigue was an element, noting that the Aggies “fought and clawed to the bitter finish,” however recollections of numerous pictures that banged harmlessly off the entrance of the rim informed a special story.
The Aggies had misplaced their legs, to this observer.
Utah State was 4 of 24 from 3-point vary — with a lot of these pictures merely quick — in what was its worst capturing efficiency percentage-wise (17%) from deep this season. That’s the Aggies’ bread and butter, and when long-range bombs aren’t falling, Utah State is in bother.
After all, San Diego State’s protection definitely had one thing to do with that, as Odom, Ashworth and middle Trevin Dorius famous a number of instances from the rostrum within the postgame information convention.
“They're able to relaxation their guys greater than most groups,” Odom stated. “So when they're on the bench they get their power again, and after they come again in, they're refreshed and able to assault.”
Mentioned SDSU coach Brian Dutcher: “Our depth is our energy.”
The sport was performed at SDSU’s tempo, as USU hoped for a rating within the 70s or 80s and the Aztecs, getting their want, wanting one thing within the 60s.
“The theme of the sport, and why they had been capable of change it into their favor, was simply tempo,” Odom stated. “The tempo of the sport was performed at their tempo, extra so than what we might have wished. It began on the finish of that first half. We had been up, and hastily they whittled it right down to a one level recreation at halftime.”
Odom felt like dropping what was as soon as a nine-point lead within the first half was deflating for his crew. The Aggies additionally let some dangerous offense have an effect on their defensive depth, the coach surmised.
“We weren’t excellent on offense, fairly actually,” he stated. “Their (defensive) strain damage us. Fatigue set in a bit bit on us, and we simply weren’t transferring our our bodies appropriately.”
Nonetheless, the Aggies had been proper there late within the recreation, seemingly poised to tug off a pleasant little upset as 3-point underdogs.
Actually, Utah State seemingly had the lead with 6:19 remaining when Taylor Funk hit a desperation 3-pointer all of Aggiedom believed beat the shot clock. However after a evaluate by officers Dave Corridor, Michael Irving and Larry Spaulding, a evaluate that may dwell in infamy amongst USU followers, the three factors had been wiped off the scoreboard.
Utah State by no means fairly recovered from the emotional blow.
Ashworth stated he thought the shot ought to have counted, and questioned if there was indeniable video proof to overturn the decision on the courtroom.
“It was a troublesome second, for certain. We thought it was good. I'm a Nazi for the foundations, and I assumed as a result of they referred to as it good, they weren’t capable of evaluate it until they referred to as it a shot clock (violation) first, so I used to be a bit confused and didn’t fairly get a solution,” Ashworth stated.
Shortly thereafter, Matt Bradley muscled in for a layup to provide SDSU a 48-44 lead in what could possibly be argued was the play of the sport.
Three possessions later, the burly Bradley mowed over Ashworth on a drive, however was awarded free throws by Irving. And when Darrion Trammell hit a troublesome jumper with 3:03 left, the Aztecs had a 53-46 lead.
“It's robust, as a result of each possession issues in a recreation like this,” Ashworth stated. “So to have that one taken away, it's robust. There have been numerous different performs within the recreation that if we glance again at in our coronary heart of hearts we want may have gone otherwise. However that was a bit troublesome to take.”
Ashworth himself missed a large open layup within the first half; Dorius, Sean Bairstow and Dan Akin additionally blew point-blank alternatives. That’s comprehensible, because the Aggies knew of SDSU’s status for shot-blocking and hurried numerous pictures earlier than they might get swatted.
“They're good, however we had been combating with them tooth and nail,” stated Dorius, who finishes with 12 factors on 6 of 11 capturing, and 7 rebounds.
“He actually made some good performs,” Odom stated of his middle from Heber Metropolis’s Wasatch Excessive.
Simply not sufficient. However not for lack of making an attempt.
The Aggies trimmed the deficit to 53-50 with 48 seconds left on back-to-back buckets by Akin and Ashworth and got possession after one other prolonged evaluate of an inbounds go.
Nevertheless, Funk’s triple was off the mark this time, and SDSU made 9 of its final 10 free throws to seal it.
The Aztecs’ relentless strain and pounding the ball into the paint “takes a toll in your physique as properly, from a fatigue standpoint,” Odom stated. “Clearly they had been 20 of 26 from the free-throw line, so the sport was, numerous it was gained proper there.”
Bradley was named match MVP, whereas USU’s Funk and Ashworth made the all-tournament crew.
San Diego State and USU have met in 4 of the final 5 Mountain West title video games, with every college claiming two wins every.
“I positively assume it's a rivalry, however extra out of respect than animosity,” Ashworth stated.