LAS VEGAS — Top-seeded San Diego State reached the Mountain West Conference tournament final, again, beating San Jose State, 64-49, in a game that was pretty much over late in the first half.
But the Aztecs always do — 13 times now in the past 15 years and in all six seasons with Brian Dutcher as head coach.
The bigger challenge has always come when they get there, which has usually gone about as well as an unsuspecting tourist sitting down at a high-stakes poker table and asking, “You guys playing cards?” Of the previous nine finals, they’ve won exactly two.
But if ever a team was well-positioned for success in the Saturday afternoon championship against Boise State or Utah State, it’s the 20th-ranked Aztecs (26-5). They have the deepest bench. As top seed, they’re afforded more rest than their opponent, which won’t get to its hotel before midnight and has to be back at the Thomas & Mack Center for a 3 p.m. tip to accommodate CBS (and its third game in 48 hours).
And they weren’t really pressed in the semis.
About the only thing that went wrong was a (highly) questionable technical foul on Keshad Johnson for “flopping” after he was run over in the lane. San Jose State’s Omari Moore missed the free throw, no doubt eliciting cries from Aztecs faithful that “the ball don’t lie.”
The Spartans managed to trim a 19-point deficit to 11 with six minutes left.
Drama?
Uh, no.
Lamont Butler made a 3-pointer from the right side. Then the Spartans didn’t hit the rim on their next five possessions, starting with a five-second violation when they couldn’t inbound the ball against the press and including two other turnovers.
Soon, the lead was 20 and the walk-ons were headed to the scorer’s table.
The most promising part of the box score was Darrion Trammell’s line: 15 points, 4 of 7 from the field, 5 of 6 at the line, zero turnovers, 28 minutes.
A day earlier in the 64-61 win against Colorado State, the Seattle transfer had more turnovers (one) than points (zero), extended his shooting slump to 3 of 20 and was benched for the final seven minutes.
Give coach Brian Dutcher credit. He called it.
Said Dutcher: “I told the guys after the game: ‘If it wasn’t your night tonight, don’t worry about it. Don’t get frustrated because tomorrow is another game, and it might be your night. So put your frustration behind and your individual performance, embrace the victory, and then get yourself motivated to play tomorrow.’
“My job as a coach is to get them out of that frustration, get them re-engaged and tell them they could have a magical day the next day.”
Johnson also had 15 points (6-of-7 shooting) and two blocks. Micah Parrish had nine, Matt Bradley eight and Butler seven.
The Aztecs shot only 40.7% and were outrebounded, but that doesn’t matter when your opponent shoots 34.5%. And when Omari Moore, the Mountain West player of the year, is held to seven points on 3-of-13 shooting.
The last time these teams met, Jan. 28 at Viejas Arena, it didn’t go well for the Spartans, either.
Fourteen points in the first half, 5-of-24 shooting, 1 of 10 behind the arc, the final 10:32 without a basket, a 19-point deficit, a roaring building.
“Their defensive pressure got us out of whack, out of sorts,” coach Tim Miles said.
This first half was better. But not much.
The Spartans scored 20 points, shot 7 of 27 overall, hoisted four airballs, went nearly eight minutes with one basket and trailed by 13.
If it wasn’t for Turkish forward (and Arizona transfer) Tibet Gorener, the numbers would have been similar. The Spartans were stuck on 12 points inside three minutes to go in the half when Gorener caught fire, scoring their final seven points of the half — or one more than his season average.
Until Thursday’s too-close-for-comfort quarterfinal against Colorado State, the Aztecs didn’t fall behind 8-0. They imposed their will from the opening tip, winning it and working the ball to Trammell for a jumper.
Then they picked up full court against Spartans point guard Alvaro Cardenas, pressuring and turning him so much that he didn’t make the first pass to initiate the offense for 16 seconds. Then they got a shot clock violation.
The Spartans actually led 8-7 before reality set in. They’d make only three baskets over the next 15-plus minutes.
Down 18 early in the second half, Miles called timeout and the Spartans got another 3 from Gorener on the ensuing possession — only for Bradley to drain from roughly the same spot at the other end 19 seconds later.
Touche.
Here’s what kind of night it was for San Jose State:
A couple minutes later, Adam Seiko was whistled for a foul on Cardenas as he drove and scored. The official working the replay monitor motioned the crew over, and soon Seiko was shooting two free throws (he made one) for a flagrant foul on Cardenas for elbowing him in the face. The Aztecs got the ball, Jaedon LeDee scored and the lead stretched to 19.
