Photo by Nicolas PeΓ±a
SAN DIEGO, CA–Viejas Arena has been a fortress for the Aztecs, especially against New Mexico. In fact, the Lobos have only gone on the road & secured the W two times in the last ten seasons. Yes those were some pretty special wins, first being Elijah Brown’s 22 point performance, helping end a five year drought inside Viejas Arena for the Lobos.
The other coming more recent, when a Jaelen House led New Mexico squad went into then top-25 ranked San Diego State’s house and left with a dub & one of the best moments in Lobo lore. Even though those moments can last a lifetime, the Aztecs have defended their home well against several Lobo coaches over the years.
But if anyone can put a scare in them, it’s Eric Olen. Who has taken the Aztecs to the wire at little brother program UC San Diego in their last two contests. Falling by a margin of just 3.0 PPG with much less fire power.
First Half
The game began with a bit of a lid on each basket. As Magoon Gwath opened the scoring with a pair of free throws. Each side struggled after, missing multiple free throw attempts before Reese Dixon-Waters added to the score with a free throw.
Jake Hall got the Lobos on the board with a driving layup. And even though the Lobos have become known as the three point bombardment squad (averaging a league leading 27.7 attempts per game). It was the Aztecs who had their scopes on from downtown.
Elzie Harrington knocked down the first to put San Diego state up 6-2 in the first few minutes of the game. Before Jake Hall reminded his hometown program why he’s one of the conference’s most accurate marksmen with one of his own.
Miles Byrd then knocked down his first points of the night with a driving layup to the basket. Soon after he sent Albury to the line for a pair of free throws, keeping the Lobos close. The Lobos’ defense forced a shot clock violation, giving a team known for it’s tout defense a taste of their own medicine.
A few possession later Haupt knocked down the second New Mexico three of the game, giving them their first lead at 10-8. That didn’t last long, as the game approached the fifteen minute mark Byrd knocked down a mid-range jumper to tie things up at ten a piece.
As New Mexico regained possession, Miller missed a jumper on the other end but caught up to a speeding Jeremiah Oden on the fast break to make him earn his free throws aside from the fast break dunk. The former Wyoming Cowboy missed both attempts.
Hall would go on to silenced the crowd inside Viejas Arena with a rare but beautifully executed four-point play, his second triple of the game. Compton drove through the lane on the other end to keep the Aztecs within two.
For Coach Olen’s squad the three-point barrage continued with Uriah Tenette’s first of the game.
The next play, their hosts continued to push the tempo. As freshman Tae Simmons went up strong on the fast break but was sent to the free throw line instead, going 1 of 2.
Soon after, Antonio Chol tipped out a missed Miller three pointer & Albury took it straight to the rim for a kiss off of the glass & the 19-13 Lobo lead. Just as it felt the Lobos were heating up for a streak, BJ Davis hit a contested leaning jumper & was fouled for a three point play.
Miller missed his second triple in as many possessions after that. Giving the Aztecs the chance to bridge the gap. After a couple of offensive rebounds Taj Degourville knocked down the triple. Tying things back up 19 a piece at the 11:42 mark.
The Lobos responded swiftly with Antonio Cho’s first deep ball of the contest. Giving the visitors back the three-point lead heading into the media timeout.
Out of the break a Jake Hall three pointer rang out & after some tough defense on the Aztec inbound play Dixon-Waters knocked down a three. As each side continued to answer each others triples, Chol appeared to have found his sweet spot just below the Aztecs’ bench for another triple.
Degourville put Haupt on skates on the next play for a nearly unbothered drive to the basket to shrink the Lobo lead to just one, 25-24. As the Aztecs’ defense nearly cost New Mexico some points, Buljan put the ball on the floor & earned a trip to the free throw line, where he knocked down both shots.
After a missed jumper by Dixon-Waters, Albury put the ball on the floor & drove to the basket, getting fouled & heading to the line, going 1 for 2. Elzie Harrington, another Mountain West fantastic freshman knocked down a mid-range jumper right after.
A missed Haupt three-point attempt on the next possession led to three Aztec free throw attempts on the other end. The Lobos continued to score, but San Diego State wasn’t going anywhere. Tying things up once again at 28-28, with 7:52 left to go.
After picking off a bad pass from JT Rock, Miles Byrd was fouled & earned two points at the charity stripe to give the home team back the lead at 30-28. Another bad pass that led to another Lobo turnover put the ball in the hands of Miles Heide. But Albury used his experience to draw the offensive foul seconds later.
As missed Buljan layup off of the inbound play looked like another San Diego State fastbreak, Miller picked off a bad Aztec pass to put the ball in Luke Haupt’s hands. A missed three & ensuing foul on Byrd gave the Aztecs the chance to increase their lead at 34-28 with 6:04 left in the half.
The Aztecs’ homecourt advantage is hard enough to overcome, but some turnovers, poor possessions & a 10-0 San Diego State run put New Mexico behind. The momentum was clearly in their hosts hands.
An attempted ball poke by Tajavis Miller as Byrd held the ball above his head in triple-threat positioning led to a flagrant foul review. Miller’s third of the game.
After a pair of made free throws by Byrd, the Lobos ended their scoring drought with a layup by big fella JT Rock. BJ Davis answered quickly with a turnaround jumper on the other end.
Rock continued to make the most of his playing time, receiving the rock down low & drawing a foul & earning one of two at the line. As the Aztecs attacked the rim on the other end, Rock fouled a rising Pharaoh Compton flying high for the alley oop play. made two biggest lead of the game.
San Diego State’s zone defense continued to make things difficult for the visiting Lobos. But after nearly turning the ball over, again. A ball reversal to a nearly wide open Chol gave him another triple & the visiting squad some hope after some ugly possessions.
Taj Degourville stayed hot off of the bench with another triple. Giving Brian Dutcher’s squad the 45-35 with under two minutes left in the half. That famous Aztec defense was on full display with New Mexico in town. As Albury’s 6th turnover of the half (9th team TO), came right out of the inbound. Their hosts were smothering the Lobos.
New Mexico couldn’t close the gap, as Buljan missed a two point jumper. And Pharaoh Compton wouldn’t let the Aztecs’ play end on the other end, grabbing the offensive board & making the put back, extending the lead 48-35.
Tenette jacked up another a last second heave before the half-time buzzer, but the cold shooting streak continued for the Lobos. New Mexico would head to the locker rooms down 48-35.
The first half was a perfect storm for Lobos to overcome. With San Diego State posting historically low defensive numbers this season, they found themselves against New Mexico in the first twenty. Forcing 9 turnovers & outrebounding their opponents 25-14. Also getting 23 points from their bench versus just seven for Coach Olen’s squad.
Second Half
We haven’t really seen the Lobos trailing after halftime much this season. Seeing how this still relatively young squad would bounce back against a premier program like San Diego State, on the road & during one of their best shooting nights all season was on everyone’s mind.
They did not disappoint. Even as Miles Byrd got right back into his scoring ways with a three pointer to open the scoring. Then the Lobos went on their own run. Scoring ten unanswered points to shrink the Aztec lead to just five at 51-46.
Byrd Answered with another triple, but as we’d seen all game that was simply answered with another Lobo triple, this one from Chol. Keeping New Mexico within five & within striking distance. A Tomislav Buljan dunk brought the Aztec lead to just 54-51, keeping a nearly packed house on the edge of their seats the remainder of the game.
With the 6-9 Croatian primed to put on a scoring clinic. Scoring the next four Lobo points before a foul on Albury sent him to the line for two free ones. A pair of exchanged three point misses would eventually lead to a make from Miller, bringing New Mexico to within one, 61-60 with twelve minutes left in the contest.
Simmons wouldn’t let that stand for long as he flushed down a fierce two handed slam on 7-1 JT Rock. San Diego State’s athleticism can be hard to contain.
After several missed attempts on each side, Hall kept the Lobos close with a made layup. The freshmen continued to make their mark, as Harrington made a layup on the other end. As Buljan continued his offensive efforts down low, he passed the ball to the opposition, luckily Harrington missed the jumper.
Albury answered quickly with another signature & successful drive through traffic. The tough San Diego State defense continued to cause Lobo turnovers & force tough contested shots. It wasn’t until a foul on Byrd sent him to the line for two easy ones, extending their lead to 67-64 at the 7:47 mark.
As Buljan attempted a rare deep ball, he grabbed a key defensive rebound on the other end so Haupt could make the layup on the fast break. Shrinking New Mexico’s deficit to just 67-66. Though DeGourville continued to be a needed spark off of the bench with a much needed Aztec triple, assisted by big man Miles Heide.
San Diego State appeared to be finding their rhythm, matching a Buljan layup on one end with a defensive stop & unselfish basketball on the other. Giving them the three point lead, 71-68.
As the game approached the five minute mark, a layup by Tae Simmons gave San Diego State back the five point lead. Though the Lobos weren’t done yet, as Uriah Tenette attacked the rim & took a trip to the foul stripe to knock down both attempts. After a missed three pointer by Sean Newman Jr., Haupt silenced the home crowd with a three pointer that tied the game at 73-73.
The Aztecs weren’t ready to let the W head east to Albuquerque, as Compton knocked down a mid-range jumper to regain the lead. Only for a short time as Buljan received the ball in the post & quickly turned for the two handed slam, tying things up again at 75 a piece.
The Aztecs kept the pace fast, matching New Mexico’s. As BJ Davis found a cutting Miles Heide for a monster two handed slam in the lane. Giving them back the lead, at 77-75. As the scoring battle headed inside with a Buljan layup on the other end to tie it up yet again.
As the Croatian was fouled in the process, he went to the line to take the lead but missed the opportunity. After a Davis turnover led to another missed opportunity, this time a missed Chol three pointer. Not a bad shot per se, the 6-9 swingman had been knocking them down all night.
The Lobos got another shot when Miller had a layup viciously blocked by Byrd, who was a defensive juggernaut all night. Soon after another poor Davis pass was picked off by Buljan & converted into a dunk on the other end. Giving New Mexico back the 79-77 lead with just a minute left in the contest.
Even though Buljan was single handedly keeping the Lobos in the fight, scoring their last six points. He fouled Heide with fifty-six seconds left on the clock, as the junior drained them both. With the game tied again, with only ten seconds left on the clock, the ball went to leading scorer BJ Davis. Clutch is an understatement, knocking down the jumper & sending the home crowd into complete chaos.
Tenette would take a jumper of his own with three seconds left on the other end but it wouldn’t fall. That left the ball in Dixon-Waters hands, which then sent him to the free throw line after being fouled by Haupt. He would knock down both, effectively putting the game just out of reach for the Lobos, who would simply turn the ball over on their last play of the game anyway.
This game certainly didn’t disappoint, as two of the top three teams in the conference met in one of the conference’s most historic venues & they gave the crowd a show. But that first half deficit was just too much to overcome. As the Lobos fell 83-79 on the road in San Diego.
There was a grand total of 40 fouls called this game, think about that. Almost as if a foul was called every minute. The game was physical, with Luke Haupt fouling out & three other players close to with four a piece.
In the end it was a tale of two halves, with the first belonging to a dominant Aztec squad & the second to the resilient Lobos. Eric Olen’s squad had four double-digit scoring contributors.
As Mr. Double-Double Tomislav Buljan led the way with 20 points, but was joined by Jake Hall (15), Antonio Chol (12) & Luke Haupt (11). As a whole shooting 42.6 % (26-61) from the field, 40% (12-30) from deep & 71.4% (15-21) at the charity stripe.
You got to give it to the Lobos. They walked into one of the three toughest places to play in the conference (per Steve Alford) & didn’t just roll over after a poor closure to the first half. Outscoring San Diego State 44-35, outrebounding them 21-12 & sending the Aztecs to the charity stripe just eight times versus a whopping twenty-two in the first half.
Was it all a little too late, sure. But San Diego State, who I remind you is not known for their explosive offense, were simply on fire in those first twenty minutes. Still, it shows a fight & resolve you love to see from such a young squad.
Hopefully Brian Dutcher gets a little gutsy from time to time & schedules the Lobos at home for a resume blotch here & there.
Players of the Match:
New Mexico-Tomislav Buljan, Frosh. F-20 points, 14 rebounds, 4 steals & 2 assists in 29 minutes
Buljan looked a little overwhelmed in the first half, with only two points on a pair of free throws & four rebounds in twelve minutes on the floor. With no fouls by the way, no foul trouble just struggling a bit with the length & athleticism of the Aztecs. As a first timer in this storied conference matchup, it’s understandable. But the former professional baller wasn’t shaken for long.
As a second chance resurgence by the Lobos was sparked almost entirely by Buljan. Scoring 18 points, grabbing 10 rebounds & accounting for half of his team’s made field goals in that time. Does the loss hurt? Indeed it does, but without the Croatian, it hurts A LOT more.
San Diego State-Miles Byrd, R-Jr. G/F-21 points, 8 rebounds, 4 blocks, 3 steals & 3 assists in 31 minutes
Byrd, who received a lot of preseason spotlight praise as an NBA Draft prospect has had a down year. Hailed for his 3-and-D capabilities, he’s posted career low averages on both sides of the ball. But against program rival New Mexico, at home, for the last time in the Mountain West he showed up.
Not only did he shoot an efficient 55% (5-9) from the floor, 50% (3-6) from deep & 88% (8-9) from the free throw line. He was also everywhere on D, blocking layups from his help side position & picking players pockets as they brought the ball down the court. The Aztecs wouldn’t have won this one without him tonight.
Next Up:
The Lobos head back home to host Fresno State in the Pit for another last clash as conference foes. Even though the Bulldogs find themselves in a race to not finish in last place, no one can be underestimated in the Mountain West. That game will tip-off at 7:00 PM MST & can be seen on the CBS Sports Network.
While the Aztecs hit the road with their winning momentum. Heading into Global Credit Union Arena to face the Havoc & a dangerous Lopes squad who just took down Goliath (Utah State) at home. That’s going to be a late start for fans not using Pacific Standard Time, with a 9:00 PM tip-off time which can be watched on FS1.
Larry Muniz is a Mountain West Basketball beat writer for Couch Potato Sports along with West Coast mid-major coverage at Mid-Major Madness.
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