On head coach Brian Dutcher’s bobblehead night, San Diego State bobbled a game awayto a Mountain West rival.
The Aztecs lost 76-68 to an aggressive and energetic UNLV Runnin’ Rebels team at Viejas Arena Saturday.
Dutcher blamed the loss on a number of factors.
“We turned it over more than they did, they out-rebounded us and they shot twice as many free throws,” he told San Diego Sports 760. “So, you can’t survive all those stats and win.”
The Aztecs got off to their usual slow start, scoring only two points in the first five minutes, and both of those on free throws. A three-pointer from guard BJ Davis and an inside jumper from forward Miles Heide gave them their first lead of the game, 7-6.
But the shooting woes continued, with the Aztecs going 1 of 9 on three-point shots through the 11-minute mark. Yet the Runnin’ Rebels couldn’t pull away and the two teams traded buckets with the Aztecs led by Davis, who hit another three-pointer, this time from the corner.
Still, the Aztecs trailed by one point, 18-17, with about six and half minutes to go. But UNLV wound up going on a 9-0 run that increased their lead to 28-17 with about four minutesleft in the half.
The Aztecs fought back to cut the deficit to only four in the waning minutes of the first half, but the first half ended with UNLV leading 31-23.
The ugly numbers told the story for the Aztecs: a 26.9 field-goal percentage, while going 3-of-16 on three-pointers with seven turnovers.
The Aztecs started the second half on an ominous note as they turned the ball over on their first possession and UNLV built up a 13-point lead, 41-28 before the Aztecs began to mount acomeback.
Guard Nick Boyd hit two three-pointers, bringing the Aztecs’ deficit back to single digits at 41-34. But just when the Aztecs picked up momentum from a Miles Byrd three-pointer, Heide lost his grip on a rebound, with the ball falling right into the hands of UNLV forward Pape N’diaye, who threw down a dunk.
The UNLV lead would grow to 10 points before another three-pointer by Byrd got the home fans out of their seats. The Aztecs seemed energized from then on, going on a 9-0 run to trail only 51-48 with about nine minutes to go.
But every time the Aztecs seemed to get closer, the Runnin’ Rebels would answer with scores,and they led 61-54 with less than four minutes to go.
The Aztecs kept trying to close the gap. Byrd hit a three-pointer to make it 67-63 withunder two minutes to go. But UNLV refused to fold, holding on in the final seconds for win.
Byrd led the Aztecs with 21 points and Boyd added 16. Davis had 10 points and four steals. Dedan Thomas Jr. had 19 points for UNLV.
“They played like a more veteran team today,” said Dutcher. “They controlled the tempo of thegame, offensively.
He added that UNLV made the Aztecs look “like a young team” and said “we got beat because we got outplayed today.”
NOTES: The Aztecs have reached the halfway point of their season and now own a record of 11-5 overall and 4-3 in the Mountain West. UNLV is 11-7 and 5-2 in conference play … Next up for the Aztecs is a road game at Air Force at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
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