AZTECS DROP ONE TO FIRED-UP NEVADA
SDSU loses its first Mountain West game on road this season
It’s become a tradition at the morning shootaround before games for San Diego State players to take turns attempting halfcourt shots. Everyone gets one.
Usually, someone will make one. Nathan Mensah, however, never had in five years … until Tuesday morning at an empty Lawlor Events Center, to much celebration among his teammates.
A portent of good things to come?
Nope.
The 22nd-ranked Aztecs were betrayed by their second-half defense (again), the difference being that they still won the last several times it happened and they
didn’t this time. The 75-66 loss at Nevada ended their seven-game road win streak and kept the Wolf Pack undefeated (11-0) this season at Lawlor Events Center.
The bigger picture: It considerably tightened the Mountain West race.
The Aztecs (17-5) squandered a chance to consolidate their spot atop the conference and now find themselves in a tie at 8-2 with Boise State, their opponent Friday night at Viejas Arena. Nevada, New Mexico and Utah State are all 6-3.
“It’s wide open,” coach Brian Dutcher said. “Wide open.”
This was a close game most of the way — 12 ties, 16 lead changes — until the Wolf Pack (17-6) created the slightest bit of separation as an emotional, chippy affair lurched into its 38th minute.
A turnaround, fall-away baseline jumper by 7-footer Will Baker over reigning Mountain West defensive player of the year Nathan Mensah, followed by a twisting left-handed layup by right-handed Kenan Blackshear, made it 67-62.
That was enough to hold off the Aztecs, who were 4-0 on the road in the Mountain West and had won seven straight going back to last season — the second longest such streak in the nation. SDSU also had won nine straight against Nevada.
Soon, the students were chanting “F- San Diego” and coming over the baseline tables as they stormed the floor.
The Aztecs mysteriously have struggled on defense in the second half in recent weeks, and it finally bit them. Nevada shot 65.2 percent (15 of 23) after just 37 percent in the opening 20 minutes.
“We just can’t have that happen,” senior Aguek Arop said. “At San Diego State, we’re known for our defense and we keep letting teams score in the second half with high shooting percentages.
We’ve got to do better. But I have to give credit to both Baker and (Jarod) Lucas. They were both hitting tough shots, fall-aways with guys all over them.
“They couldn’t miss. We couldn’t get any stops. That’s what it came down to. We missed a couple shots when we had good looks. They converted. We didn’t. Tip our hat to them.”
Starting with nine minutes to go, Nevada scored on 12 of 13 possessions — a staggering ratio against a proud program built on D. What’s gone wrong? “I wish I could tell you,” Arop said. “Yeah, we’re trying to figure it out. I really couldn’t tell you.”
Another problem: Only six second-chance points off offensive rebounds after getting 18, 14 and 14 in the previous three games.
Nevada ranks near the bottom of Division I in bench usage, and the Aztecs reserves outscored their Wolf Pack counterparts 29-1. It didn’t matter, though, when four starters were in double figures. Lucas had 26 points, 15 more than in Nevada’s 7465 loss at Viejas Arena three weeks earlier. Baker had 19, Blackshear had 18 and Tre Coleman had 11 with three 3s (after making just one in his previous seven games).
The only Aztec with more than 11 points was Matt Bradley with 16, although only five came after halftime. Darrion Trammell had 10 but his struggles continued behind the 3-point arc, going 0 of 5.
Things were humming along fine for the Aztecs early, leading 11-4 at the first media timeout, subduing the 9,357 inside the Lawlor Events Center on a chilly night in the Northern Sierras.
But the one thing you don’t want to do is give the home fans a reason to get riled up, and the Aztecs did. Trammell was tied up for a jump ball in front of the Nevada bench, then exchanged words in what quickly had both benches clearing.
The officials separated the players and reviewed film during the timeout. Trammell was assessed a technical foul for shoving Lucas (who went down pretty easy for a guy 6 inches taller), giving the Wolf Pack two free throws and the ball.
Lucas made both, then Blackshear drained a 3 to complete a five-point possession and invigorate the crowd.
The Aztecs led 30-28 at intermission, and were probably fortunate to do so. They continued their habit of going long stretches without a basket (this one lasted eightplus minutes), and Trammell and Lamont Butler each had two fouls (and Micah Parrish had three).
They also had six turnovers, three more than in the entire game against San Jose State on Saturday, then opened the second half with two more — both by Butler.
Dutcher quickly started subbing, trying anything to stem what was a palpable switch in momentum as the Wolf Pack opened the half with a 10-3 run. He already had four reserves on the floor before the half’s first media timeout.
He rolled with them, leaving Bradley and three other starters on the bench as the backups dug them out of a seven-point hole and made it a game again.
“We played well,” Arop said. “We didn’t play well enough to win.”
Notable
The Aztecs are scheduled to fly home late Wednesday morning, then head straight to Viejas Arena to begin preparations for Friday’s game against Boise State. It is the fourth game in 10 days, which mean the players don’t get a day off for 12 straight days.
The officiating crew was Eric Curry, Randy McCall
and DG Nelson. You might remember Nelson from SDSU’s game at Colorado State, where he had some iffy calls. (He had several more Tuesday night.).
Students behind one basket chanted, “You’re a midget” at the 5-foot-10 Trammell. After he got a steal that he turned into a fastbreak layup, they chanted, “You’re still a midget.”
Nevada entered the night among the national leaders in free throw accuracy and went 20 of 23. SDSU was 17 of 19.
The Wolf Pack finished with just six turnovers. The Aztecs had 11.