LAS VEGAS – The adventure continues.
San Diego State’s basketball team is one win from the NCAA Tournament because it keeps missing behind the 3-point arc, keeps clanking free throws, keeps surrendering offensive rebounds … and keeps winning nonetheless, defying laws of statistics (and probably a few laws of physics as well).
The latest victim was New Mexico, 64-62 in the semifinals of the Mountain West tournament on Friday night – late Friday night – at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center. The game didn’t tip until 9:29 p.m., nearly a half-hour later than scheduled, and didn’t finish until 11:45 p.m. after BJ Davis’ last-second layup nestled in the net.
The game was considered a bubble elimination contest, meaning the loser had their already fading hopes of an at-large NCAA berth slip into oblivion with no more chances to play. The winner gets no guarantees for Selection Sunday, merely a spot in the Mountain West final and a shot to clinch the conference’s automatic NCAA berth with a victory.
That will come Saturday afternoon (3 p.m., CBS) against top-seeded Utah State, which had little trouble dispatching Nevada 79-66 in the first semifinal and was back at its hotel resting when the second semi lurched to its dramatic conclusion. SDSU might also not have starting forward Miles Heide, who subbed out with an injury to his left (shooting) hand with 8:31 to go and didn’t play again.
“To be determined,” coach Brian Dutcher said when asked Heide’s status for Saturday.
SDSU forward Miles sits on the bench with his hand taped during the semifinal of the Mountain West tournament against New Mexico at the Thomas & Mack Center. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
There’s also this ominous stat: SDSU reached the final for the 12th time in the last 15 years but is just 3-8 in them.
The turnaround for the second-seeded Aztecs (22-10) is beyond brutal, too, thanks to the Mountain West succumbing to national TV slots at the expense of athlete welfare. They probably won’t get to sleep much before 2 a.m., then return to Thomas & Mack by early afternoon for their third game in 45 hours.
But the point is, they’re returning. They still have a chance.
They do because Davis did what he always does in the closing seconds of a half, holding the ball as the clock ticks down and then attacking the rim. He did at the end of the first half for a layup, and he did it at the end of the game, breaking a 62-62 tie by dribbling past Lobos guard Deyton Albury, slicing through the lane from the right side and kissing the ball off the glass from close range.
The Lobos know the drill. Davis made a bank shot with 10 seconds left in the first meeting to break a 79-79 tie in what became an 83-79 victory. Two weeks ago in Albuquerque, he airballed a 3 that would have tied it with 14 seconds left en route to an 81-76 loss.
Friday’s winner was the first for SDSU inside three seconds to go in a Mountain West tournament game since Jamaal Franklin’s buzzer-beating 3 against Boise State in 2012.
Dutcher: “We just give him space, and he creates his own shot. He’s very good at it. He had a 3 at the end of the (last) New Mexico game that didn’t go in, but it doesn’t change our mind. We want it in his hands at the end of the game with the game on the line.”
Davis: “I saw a little opening, so I just wanted to attack the space. I saw an empty space. I think it’s just growing up, you always envision those type of scenarios when you’re just out there by yourself. You know, just 3, 2, 1 …”
New Mexico coach Eric Olen: “When we got (Albury) switched back on to him, I actually felt pretty good about potentially limiting the depth of his drive and it being more of a jump shot, but he was able to get pretty deep and make a good play.”
Albury: “The only adjustment I think I should have made was trying to send him to his left hand. I think it probably would have made a difference. Probably force him into a tough midrange (jumper) instead of on-the-backboard layup.”
That left New Mexico with 2.1 seconds to go the length of the floor. A pass to midcourt was too high for Tomislav Buljan and tipped off his hand to Magoon Gwath, who tried to catch it and stepped on the sideline. The Lobos had the ball with six-tenths of a second left, but Jake Hall’s desperation attempt was well short.
It was about Gwath’s only misstep of the night. The 7-foot forward emerged from a season-long slumber at the most opportune time, finishing with 17 points, six rebounds and two blocks in a season-high 28 minutes off the bench after losing his starting spot to freshman Tae Simmons (eight points, eight rebounds).
“I played hard,” Gwath said. “I didn’t press my game too much.”
Added Dutcher: “He’s getting a rhythm about him again. I mean, he’s been hurt and he’s finally seems like he’s in good health. He’s in a good place physically and mentally. Having him this time of the year playing this way gives us a lot better chance to be successful.”
Sean Newman Jr. #4 of San Diego State steals the ball from Tomislav Buljan #10 of New Mexico in the semifinals of the Mountain West Conference basketball tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center on March 13, 2026 in Las Vegas, NV. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
It was a tight game, just as the two regular-season meetings were, and neither team led by more than six. A corner 3 by Gwath put the Aztecs up four inside four minutes to go, but the Lobos (23-9) clawed back and tied it on Albury’s layup with 25 seconds left, giving him 20 points on just 10 shots.
The shot clock was off, and Dutcher didn’t call timeout.
The instructions were clear: Get BJ the ball, get out of the way.
The night’s other hero was Reese Dixon-Waters, who had only five points but was the primary defensive assignment on Hall, the Mountain West freshman of the year. The Carlsbad High alum, who entered the night averaging 16.4 points, had just three (on an early 3-pointer) and finished shooting 1 of 10 overall and 1 of 7 beyond the arc.
“He did an elite job,” Dutcher said. “(Assistant coach JayDee) Lester told him at halftime, ‘Don’t get frustrated.’ He said, “Reese, you’re the MVP of the game right now. You are where you’re supposed to be at the defensive end, and we wouldn’t be in the shape we’re in without that.” Credit to Reese, who didn’t put up a lot of points but played maybe his best defensive game of the year.”
In all, the Lobos shot 32.8% — the second lowest of the season and their lowest in a Mountain West tournament game since 2000 – and had only 22 points in the paint after torching San Jose State for 56 in the quarterfinals a night earlier.
SDSU’s free-throw defense was also stellar. The Lobos were 15 of 28 from the line. They were shooting 73.1% on the season, meaning had they hit their average they would have had five more points.
Buljan, the Lobos’ 23-year-old Croatian pro, had eight points and 10 rebounds, but that was a vast improvement over the first two meetings: 20 and 14 at Viejas Arena and a dominant 24 and 18 two weeks ago at The Pit. Buljan also shot 3 of 9 after going 10 of 11 against San Jose State.
The Aztecs surrounded him with two bodies in an effort to limit more than eliminate his production.
“Usually a guy gets 10 rebounds, you’re mad,” Dutcher said, “but Buljan had 18 and 14 against us this year, so 10 is pretty good.”
Notable
Dutcher started the same five as the night before: Sean Newman Jr., Miles Byrd, Dixon-Waters, Tae Simmons and Heide … The Aztecs reached the final for the 17th time in the conference’s 27-year history and the eighth time in nine seasons with Dutcher as head coach. They are 17-4 in semifinals and 7-1 as the No. 2 seed … The lower bowl at 18,000-seat Thomas & Mack was filled, with some overflow into the upper deck. The announced crowd was 9,048 …
Davis, with 12 points, was the only other SDSU player in double figures. He also had six assists and three steals … Saint Augustine High alum Luke Haupt had seven points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals for New Mexico … The Aztecs shot 5 of 21 behind the arc, meaning they are 6 of 32 (18.8%) in two tournament games. They were 13 of 21 at the line, a slight improvement over 22 of 42 from Thursday’s quarterfinal win against Colorado State … The officiating crew: Nate Harris, Jason Philips and Kevin Brill (who worked SDSU’s quarterfinal).