San Diego State Locks Down Colorado State to Advance in Mountain West Quarterfinal
San Diego State’s Miles Byrd (21) pushes across half court against Colorado State’s Jase Butler (4) Photo: Erik Moulton/The Pit Press
San Diego State is a scary team when its locked in.
Facing elimination in its final Mountain West Conference tournament, the Aztecs did not look like a team that stumbled across the finish line in the regular season.
SDSU delivered the vintage dominating defensive performance that kept the Aztecs at the top of this conference for decades, defeating Colorado State 71 to 62 in the third Mountain West Conference tournament quarterfinal.
The Aztecs held Colorado State to 33% shooting, forced 16 turnovers, and outrebounded the Rams 43 to 31.
SDSU finished the first half on an 11-0 run to take a double digit lead going into the half.
The Aztecs’ lead grew to as many as 16 in the second half, but CSU’s hot 3-point shooting and SDSU’s inability to make free throws down the stretch kept the game interesting.
CSU put in 13 3-point field goals, led by junior guard Brendon Rechstenier’s 16 points. Five different Rams knocked down a 3-pointer, but the Rams only shot 38% as a team and hoisted up 34 shots from beyond the arc.
San Diego State’s Reese Dixon-Waters (39) puts up a three point shot in the Mountain West Tournament against Colorado State’s Jase Butler (4). Photo: Erik Moulton/The Pit Press
SDSU’s offense was not much better from an efficiency perspective, as the Aztecs shot a pitiful 1-of-11 from the 3-point line and 22-of-42 from the free throw line.
The Aztecs were led by Miles Byrd’s 12 points and 8 rebounds. Reece Dixon-Waters and Pharaoh Compton each chipped in 11 for the Aztecs.
SDSU will play the winner of New Mexico and San Jose State at 9:00 pm PST.
