There went Kawhi Leonard, grabbing a rebound in traffic, fighting off a foul, and making a backhand layup. There was Malcolm Thomas, angling his athletic body between defenders for an offensive rebound and stick-back.
There went Billy White, reaching in to make a steal, racing the length of the floor on the dribble at 6-foot-8 and making a tough layup. There was point guard D.J. Gay dribbling around a pick at the elbow, pulling up and hitting a 10-footer.
The young, talented, acrobatic athletes of the San Diego State basketball team. All making big plays to open up overtime, and leading the Aztecs to a 69-62 victory over USD in the 41st renewal of the City Championship on Wednesday night at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.
When this group — featuring three freshman and three transfers all playing considerable minutes — learns how to mesh all of the talent together, it’s going to be dangerous.
For now the Aztecs are 5-2, their terrific and precocious individual skills being just enough to win the cross-town rivalry for a fourth consecutive year over a USD team that may have run out of gas following a week-long trek to Anchorage for the Great Alaskan Shootout.
USD (4-3) played well in the Great White North, defeating 25th-ranked Oklahoma and then Houston to finish second in the tournament. But against SDSU, other than superlative senior guard Brandon Johnson who scored 19 of his team-high 21 points after halftime, the Toreros came up short.
On the scoreboard, and in the paint.
After the Aztecs erased a one-point halftime deficit with a 13-0 run over the first 7:30 of the second half, Johnson brought USD back with an array of slashing moves to the hoops and three-point jumpers.
A 21-8 spurt by the Toreros evened the score, 48-48, heading down the stretch. But neither team could score the knockout blow as the game spilled over into overtime tied, 52-52.
That’s when the Aztecs’ young guns went to work. Leonard, a 6-foot-7 scoring machine who was named California’s Mr. Basketball last season as a prep, made the first big play of the extra session when he sliced in to grab a rebound under the hoop and made a difficult layup in traffic. Leonard (eight points, seven rebounds) missed the free throw leaving the score at 54-52, but SDSU would not trail again.
Next it was Thomas’ turn. A slithery 6-foot-9 transfer from Pepperdine– after prepping at San Diego’s Crawford High — Thomas grabbed another offensive rebound, and with quick hops converted the hoop for a four-point lead.
White, a junior with leaping ability that makes him seem a half-foot taller than his listed 6-8, knocked the ball loose at the other end and dribbled the length of the floor, striding in like a gazelle for a layup to make it 58-52.
Gay, embracing his new role as team leader at the point, finished off USD with a leaning 10-foot jumper that made it 60-52. Gay, the Aztecs’ only dangerous threat from the outside with four 3-pointers, wound up with a game-high 22 points.
The Aztecs, despite their talented and deep roster — which includes the San Diego Section’s all-time leading scorer Tyrone Shelley (Crawford High, transfer from Pepperdine) and Northern California’s High School Player of the Year, freshman guard Chase Tapley – are still learning to play together.
SDSU received a rude awakening in its second game of the season at St. Mary’s, where it was blown off the court in a nationally-televised 80-58 loss to the Gaels a little more than two weeks ago.
Last week, the young Aztecs were ambushed in Stockton by lightly-regarded Pacific, 71-63. But they appear to be working their way through the growing pains. Wednesday night’s victory was their most impressive to date, considering that they blew an eight-point lead in the first half then a 12-point lead in the second half but still stuck together to get the win.
Shelley was the only other Aztec in double-figures with 10 points, but everyone else contributed. The front line of Thomas, Leonard and White all had eight points, senior Kelvin Davis added seven, and Tapleychipped-in with six.
USD wasn’t run off the court, however. Led by Johnson and another senior guard, De’Jon Jackson (13 points), the Toreros committed only 11 turnovers against SDSU’s long-armed defense.
USD didn’t score for the first 5:05 of the game, nor did it score the first 7:30 of the second half. But with poise and solid execution, USD erased deficits throughout the game to force the extra session.
In the end, though, they couldn’t keep up with San Diego State’s leapers. Thanks to the extra opportunities on the offensive glass the Aztec took control one last time in overtime.
White sealed the game for good with another steal and breakaway dunk to make it 66-57 with under a minute remaining.
It was the kind of a play that defined the difference between the two teams, USD having to rely on the outside shot (11 3-pointers in all) while SDSU was able to leap high above the fray in plays around the basket.
– Ello –
