Aztecs give up big lead in frustrating loss to Utah State – NBC 7 San Diego

Over the last 15 years or so, San Diego State’s basketball program has been among the best in the country at protecting leadership, especially at home. When the 20th-ranked team in the country took an 18-point lead over Utah State at Viejas Arena on Saturday afternoon, it was easy to believe it was completely safe in the W column.

Instead, the Aggies cruised to a 67-66 victory that may not rise to the level of a shock, but may well prove to be stunning. SDSU got off to a fantastic start and shot the ball as well as they had all year. The Aztecs shot 6 of 13 from 3-point range, thanks to strong starts from Miles Byrd, Nick Boyd and Taj DeGourville. With 1:55 minutes left they had a lead of 40:22.

However, the second half was a nightmare.

San Diego State missed all 11 shots from 3-point land overall. If they had hit just one of them, they probably would have won. The cold spell allowed the Aggies to get back into the game, allowing Tucker Anderson to hit a 3-pointer with seven seconds left that put Utah State on top for good.

The Aggies joined the Mountain West Conference 11 years ago. This is the first time they have won on Montezuma Mesa. SDSU falls to 8-3 overall and 1-1 in conference play. They have a week off before traveling to Idaho for a game against Boise State.