The San Diego State Aztecs faced a devastating defeat against the New Mexico Lobos on Saturday at The Pit in Albuquerque, marking their final appearance at the venue with significant implications for their season. In a game that epitomized their struggles this year, the Aztecs squandered an 11-point lead in the first half, ultimately falling 81-76 in a contest that was tightly contested until the last moments.
This loss severely impacts the Aztecs” aspirations for the Mountain West title and their already slim chances of securing an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. With this defeat, their hopes of at least sharing the regular-season championship in their last season in the Mountain West have likely vanished. Miles Byrd managed to tie the game at 74 with a crucial three-pointer with just over a minute remaining, but New Mexico responded with a decisive three-pointer from Luke Haupt, who is the son of Mike Haupt, a coach at St. Augustine High School in San Diego, to take the lead.
The Aztecs did manage to narrow the gap to one point with two free throws from Tae Simmons, but a controversial review allowed the Lobos to maintain possession after what looked like a turnover. Deyton Albury pushed New Mexico”s lead to 79-76 with two free throws, and a hurried three-point attempt from BJ Davis failed, leading to a rebound and a foul that allowed Haupt to score one free throw, sealing the game.
Tomislav Buljan was a standout for the Lobos, recording an impressive 24 points along with 18 rebounds. Byrd led the Aztecs with 17 points, contributing to a total of four players in double figures for San Diego State. This match was the last regular-season meeting between these two teams, with the Aztecs now holding a disappointing record of 13 losses in their past 46 games at The Pit.
As the Aztecs prepare to transition to the new-look Pac-12, the Lobos will remain in the Mountain West. Entering this game, the Aztecs were tied for first place in the conference with Utah State, holding the tiebreaker advantage that would have secured them the top seed in the upcoming conference tournament in Las Vegas, provided they finished the season strong. However, this loss places them in a tie for second with New Mexico, who previously lost to them by four points earlier this season.
With their NCAA Tournament aspirations dimming following a two-loss week that included a setback against Grand Canyon and another against Colorado State, the Aztecs had briefly revived their hopes with a strong win over Utah State. This had led ESPN bracket expert Joe Lunardi to include them in the Field of 64, contingent on winning the Mountain West”s automatic bid.
Initially, the Aztecs appeared to be in control, racing to a 30-19 lead with under six minutes left in the first half. However, the Lobos responded with scoring runs of 6-0 and 7-0, closing the gap to 37-36 by halftime. The rebounding battle was another area of concern, with New Mexico out-rebounding San Diego State 42-36 and securing 16 second-chance points compared to the Aztecs” seven.
Looking ahead, the Aztecs will travel to Boise State for their last road game of the regular season on Tuesday night, with the matchup scheduled to begin at 6 PM PT on CBS Sports Network. They will aim to complete a season sweep after a thrilling double-overtime victory at Viejas Arena earlier in the year.
