Now it’s really going to be tough for Steve Fisher’s SDSU men’s basketball team. For Beth Burns’ women’s team the Mountain West Conference stretch run isn’t going to be any easier.
New Mexico dealt blows to both on Saturday. At The Pit in Albuquerque, the Aztec men fell in overtime, 88-86, as Darington Hobson hit two free throws with 2.7 seconds remaining and Kelvin Davis’ good-look but desperation three at the other end fell off the left side of the rim.
SDSU (16-7, 5-4) now trails 15th-ranked New Mexico, 10th-ranked BYU and UNLV (all 7-2 in conference) by two games apiece with just seven left to play. Needing a marquee road win to improve their NCAA Tournament chances, the Aztecs nearly got one after rallying from six points down in the final 34 seconds of regulation. D.J. Gay, who scored a career-high 25 points, was fouled on a three-point attempt with one second left and SDSU down by two. Gay could convert only two of the three free throws, however, sending the game to overtime.
On the women’s side, the Aztecs (14-7, 6-3) fell back into a second-place tie with New Mexico and BYU — a game back of TCU — as the Lobos won, 65-58, breaking away from a 53-53 tie in the final minutes by making their free throws (19-4 advantage in the game) and making their way to the boards (31-20 rebounding edge). The loss snapped SDSU’s 14-game home conference winning streak.
“We’ll see what we’re made of now,” Burns said. “It was a hard-fought game but they fought a little bit harder. Now let’s see if we can fight back.”
There was no lack of fight from Fisher’s team, which was trying to win at The Pit for the fourth time in the past five years. Trailing by 10 with just over three minutes to play, SDSU staged a furious comeback. That Gay could not play hero by hitting all three free throws in the final second was unfortunate, being as the Aztecs wouldn’t have had any chance to win without him.
“It was a great basketball game,” Fisher said. “I am extremely disappointed for our players, but I am 10 times as proud for how we fought, competed, found a way to come back, and gave ourselves multiple chances to win a game against a really good team in a hostile, hostile environment. D.J. made some big-time plays for us. He is the smallest, slightest we got, but yet he is the toughest we got, too.”
Hobson, who scored a game-high 29 points, was also tough — as in tough to guard. A slashing, physical player who is hard to contain on the inside, Hobson also hit four of his five three-point shots, including a 60-foot heave at the end of the first half that gave New Mexico a 42-37 lead.
The Lobos (21-3) maintained their lead throughout the second half, bumping their advantage to double-digits with time running out. But Gay hit a pair of three-pointers and scored 10 points in the final 2:01 to bring the Aztecs back.
Had he scored 11, SDSU would have celebrated in regulation. But trailing 78-76 with a second to play, the second of his three free throws bounced off the heel of the rim.
Nevertheless, the Aztecs went ahead in overtime as Malcolm Thomas scored on a dunk, then hit two free throws to put SDSU ahead 82-79. Hobson, though, would answer with a three, and eventually put New Mexico back in front, 86-85, on a free throw with 40 seconds to play. Thomas was fouled with 20 seconds left, and split two freebies, leaving the score tied and setting up the Lobos’ final possession.
Hobson got the ball on the right baseline and was fouled by Billy White making his move to the hoop at the 2.7 mark. After he made the free throws, SDSU’s Brian Carwell threw a long baseball pass into the front court, which was caught by Davis near the top of the arc. Dribbling to his left to create some space, Davis let fly with the potential game-winner as the buzzer sounded. But the shot caromed off the rim.
As disappointing as the men’s loss was, Fisher’s team once again proved it could play with the nation’s elite. The Aztecs lost by just a bucket to 10th-ranked BYU at home a couple of weeks ago, then came within a whisker of sweeping the season series from New Mexico.
Though now squarely in fourth-place in the conference, this is a young team that will lose only one senior (Davis) next season. SDSU still has a solid shot at post-season play this season, but figures to be even better next year.
Meanwhile, the Aztecs women may be letting a golden opportunity slip away. The preseason conference favorites have now lost three of their last six games, and with seven losses total will not be able to duplicate last season’s 22-6 regular-season finish.
Senior guards Jene Morris and Quenese Davis — both returning All-MWC players — did their part against New Mexico, with Morris scoring 21 points to lead all scorers. But junior center Paris Johnson – another all-conference returnee — continued to struggle, scoring just seven points and grabbing only three rebounds.
Without Johnson controlling the paint, as she did a year ago, Morris and Davis (10 points, five assists) are being forced to carry too much of the load. Opponents are also taking advantage on the inside, as New Mexico did on Saturday by dominating the boards and forcing its way to the hoop to draw fouls.
They made six consecutive foul shots during a 9-0 run midway through the second half to turn a five-point deficit into a four-point lead. They finished 19-of-24 from the charity stripe, nailing their free throws down the stretch as Morris and Davis tried in vain to keep pace with jumpers from the outside.
A second-round NCAA Tournament team a year ago — with four starters returning — the women figured to be a good bet to be NCAA bound again this season. They still may be. But if Morris and Davis don’t get some consistent help over season’s final seven regular season games, a once hopeful season could go up in smoke.
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Craig Elsten -
Chris Ello -
Chainsaw -
