Up two points with two seconds left thanks to a driving layup by BJ Davis and having to deny the Lobos’ attempt at a winner, the Aztecs did one more time what they’d done so well all night: lock up freshman sensation Jake Hall.
With less than a second left, Magoon Gwath — who starred in Friday night’s semifinal — intercepted a last-ditch inbounding effort as No. 3 New Mexico tried to advance the ball for a final shot to tie or win. But he stepped out with the ball and gave the Lobos a sliver of time and an ounce of hope.
Hall, who prior to the semifinal had an 18-game streak of scoring at least 10 points, caught an inbounds pass on the wing and turned around to a double-team in his face and shot just a touch too tough for the young star to drain. He finished with three points and four assists.
And No. 2 San Diego State held on for dear life against New Mexico to earn a trip to the Credit Union 1 Mountain West Men’s Basketball Championship title game late Friday night, 64-62.
“We showed him the respect he deserved. We stayed engaged, we didn’t lose him, we made everything hard. If he was going to get baskets, they weren’t going to be easy,” Aztecs coach Brian Dutcher said. “Then when we switched, the guy that switched onto him didn’t lose him either. So for a one-day prep I thought we did a good job of following a game plan and trying to stay engaged where he couldn’t get going. We were fortunate, too.”
Offensively, Magoon Gwath shined for the Aztecs with a team-high 17 points to go with six rebounds and two big blocks. No Gwath shot was bigger than a catch-and-shoot 3 from the corner to put his team up two possessions late in the second half. A few minutes later, Lobos guard Deyton Albury — who led all scorers with 20 points — hit a pair of free throws and an acrobatic layup in successive plays to tie the score at 62 a play before Davis’s winner.
Gwath’s 17 was his most since an early-January game against Fresno State. After a seven-point outing against Colorado State in the quarterfinal, Friday night was a perfect time to get a groove back.
“I feel like I just went out there, I played hard. I didn’t press my game too much,” Gwath said. “Credit to my teammates for finding me for some good looks. I just played harder.”
On defense, nothing pops more than the Aztecs allowing 20 offensive rebounds, but holding second-chance points to just nine. A day prior, Colorado State struggled with San Diego State’s interior presence to get shots up at all. New Mexico is known for living in the paint and making the most out of initial opportunities and second chances.
Not on Friday night.
“Yeah, I thought Magoon’s length was really important. They got offensive rebounds, but he has a length about him where he’s harder to finish over, and he did a good job being disciplined and just walling up and using that length to his advantage,” Dutcher said. “So 20 offensive rebounds is more than we get in a season, and they got it in a game. They’re a good rebounding team, so it didn’t lead to as many points as it probably could have, and that was fortunate for us.”
The Mountain West championship game will be between the league’s top two teams in San Diego State and No. 1 Utah State on Saturday afternoon.
