Aztecs, Looking to Boost March Madness Credentials, Take Flight Against Nevada ...Middle East

With their post-season lives on the line, San Diego State used a smothering defense and hot shooting to overwhelm Nevada 80-61 at Viejas Arena Saturday.

“A good offensive performance,” said head coach Brian Dutcher. “You couple that with good defense, you come up with a nice team victory.”

The Aztecs (21-8, 14-6 Mountain West) came into the game fighting for a spot in theNCAA Tournament after suffering a critical loss at UNLV.

#MWMBB Highlights from @Aztec_MBB's 80-61 win over Nevada pic.twitter.com/MBDK02nHw2

They were ranked as one of the last teams expected to make the tournament by ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi, with CBS Sports expert Jerry Palm tabbing them for the play-in games.

“I think we’re a tournament team, but I don’t get to make that choice,” said Dutcher.

After Saturday’s game, their chances look much stronger. “That was a must-win game for us,” said forward Jared Coleman-Jones.

Beat the buzzer! @NicholaswBoyd ? @CBBonFOX pic.twitter.com/pVN1ULSqkt

The game started fast for the Aztecs, with a steal from guard BJ Davis leading to two pointsfrom guard Nick Boyd. Davis would add another steal soon after and the contest briefly turned into a defensive battle.

The Aztecs were up by only three when they started heating up. Guard Wayne McKinneyIII hit consecutive baskets, a two and a three-pointer. Then Davis added a layup. All of asudden, the Aztecs had gone on a 9-0 run and led 17-7 with about 12 minutes left in the firsthalf.

A three-point shot by Nevada (16-15, 8-12 MW) tightened the score, but a powerful dunk by forward Pharaoh Compton and a driving layup by Davis pushed the Aztec lead to 21-10.

Thrown DOWN @PharaohCompton ? @CBBonFOX pic.twitter.com/OIm9TY0u4E

Guard Miles Byrd added to the lead with a high, arcing three-pointer that gave the Aztecs a 26-10 lead. Back-to-back threes from Boyd pushed the lead to 32-10 with about six minutes left in the half and forced Nevada to take a time out.

The energetic play and scoring from the Aztecs added up to a 22-3 run over a seven-minutestretch. The Viejas crowd, many dressed for a “White Out” night, roared as the scoring continued, especially when a pass from Byrd led to a slam dunk by forward Demarshay Johnson Jr. for a 41-14 lead.

Nevada avoided the embarrassment of being held to under 20 points in the half with some late scoring, but the Aztecs headed into halftime with a comfortable 43-21 lead. That was due to shooting 60% from the field and 38% shooting from long distance. On defense, they had only two blocks but seven steals.

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The Aztecs didn’t let up in the second half. Byrd opened with a three pointer, giving the Aztecs a 25-point lead, 46-41. Another big dunk from Compton pushed it to 51-24.

The Aztecs kept driving toward the basket and were up 58-36 when Nevada started using a press defense and some inside scoring to cut the deficit to under 20 points with about 11 minutes left in the game.

The Wolf Pack surge brought the lead down further, to 14 points, but two free throws from forward Miles Heide temporarily slowed Nevada. Then a Boyd three and a layup by Compton continued the pushback, and the Aztecs had their 20-point lead again, 66-46, with less than eight minutes to go.

Coleman-Jones contributed to the scoring, adding a late three to make it 75-54 with lessthan four minutes to go. And from there, the Aztecs stayed aggressive, but also worked sometime off the clock to seal the victory.

With the regular season now in the books, next up for the Aztecs is the Mountain West Tournament, which starts Wednesday in Las Vegas. SDSU faces Boise State at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, giving them a chance to pick up more wins and strengthen their credentials for March Madness – or win the NCAA automatic bid outright.

NOTES: The Aztecs and Wolf Pack were meeting for the 36th time, with San Diego State holding a 27-8 advantage … It was senior night and the Aztecs honored six seniors – Ryan Schwarz, Desai Lopez, Demarshay Johnson Jr., Kimo Ferrari, Wayne McKinney III and Jared Coleman-Jones. With the game in hand, Dutcher later substituted in Schwartz and Lopez after the other seniors had played … The team also honored seniors from the dance team, cheer squad and twirlers.

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