Just another night in the Mountain West.

This conference battle showcased a ton of defense in the game. Neither side found their rhythm offensively, as a low-scoring affair saw the Nevada Wolf Pack narrowly defeat the San Diego State Aztecs in overtime.

The Aztecs fell to 18-6 and 7-4 in conference play. Nevada earned a much-needed win and take down their second consecutive ranked opponent (Utah State). They improve to 19-5 and 6-4 in the MW.

The Aztecs really struggled early on to score points. It took them 10 minutes to score their second field goal, which happened to be a Micah Parrish triple.

.@ImmanuelMicah adds a three of his own
📺: @CBSSportsNet pic.twitter.com/cO1VjZkulm

— San Diego State Men’s Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) February 10, 2024

The good news is that their defense kept them in the contest.

Nevada also had trouble scoring consistently. SDSU did a good job of not letting Nevada increase their lead. The Wolf Pack held a 3-5 point advantage for most of the half, and their largest lead was seven.

Free throws saved both teams. There were 18 fouls (nine each side) with about four minutes remaining in the half. The half ended with both teams committing 11 fouls each. Four Aztecs were in foul trouble as Jay Pal, Elijah Saunders, Miles Byrd, and Jaedon LeDee all had two fouls.

In the first half, there were more fouls called than made baskets.

The Aztecs forced Nevada to commit 11 first-half turnovers, resulting in eight points. A major reason SDSU was still in this game was because of their defense. Shooting 36.4% from the field and 25% from downtown won’t get it done most days.

.@JayPal_22 is a block machine!
📺: @CBSSportsNet pic.twitter.com/URyjcEKF1Q

— San Diego State Men’s Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) February 10, 2024

LeDee had a tough start to the game as well, being unable to control the paint as he normally does. The Wolf Pack defended him well as LeDee committed four turnovers. The senior finished the half with seven points, going 1-2 from the floor. He went 5-6 from the free-throw line.

What you saw in the first half is what you saw in the second half. Neither side could take control offensively, and we saw a ton of careless fouls and turnovers. LeDee and Butler each committed their fourth foul with just under 10 minutes to go in the game.

Dutcher was forced to keep Saunders and Heide in the contest during important crunch-time minutes. However, they played very well down the stretch to keep their team in the game. They combined for 11 points in this game.

The Aztecs finally did even the contest at 46 after it seemed they never would get there.

The score was even at 50, with 4:29 remaining in the game.

After Kenan Blackshear retook the lead with a tough score at the rim, Pal responded on the other side with a score, earning the foul. Pal nailed the free throw, and the Aztecs had their first lead of the game, 53-52.

.@JayPal_22 makes the bucket and gets to the line!
📺: @CBSSportsNet pic.twitter.com/nJ2pvkOzK6

— San Diego State Men’s Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) February 10, 2024

The matchup of Pal vs. Blackshear was one to watch to finish this contest. Dutcher decided Pal was the better option to defend the scoring threat with Pal’s ability to defend at the rim. Not to mention LeDee’s foul trouble and ended up Butler fouling out.

Blackshear was the go-to guy for the Wolf Pack in this game. Jared Lucas started the game off hot but cooled off as the game went on. The Wolf Pack starting backcourt ended this game with a combined 37 points.

SDSU led 59-56 with 57 seconds remaining in the contest. The Aztecs worked their way back and had a chance to take down the Wolf Pack on the road in a hostile environment.

This game went down to the final possession. Lucas was fouled at the rim and brought the score back to one with 33 seconds remaining.

Blackshear intentionally fouled LeDee on the other end, and LeDee proceeded to miss the first and make the second free throw. SDSU led by two with 20 seconds remaining as Nevada head coach Steve Alford called a timeout to try and tie or win the game.

On a missed shot, Wolf Pack forward Nick Davidson converted at the rim — plus the foul. He then missed the free throw to keep the score even. The Aztecs called a timeout, but it didn’t matter.

The game headed to overtime tied at 60.

The Aztecs scored the first four points of OT but only scored two the rest of the way through. Nevada scored eight unanswered and it was enough to hold off the Aztecs from stealing a win in Reno.

The next game for the Aztecs is this coming Tuesday night as they host Colorado State at 6:00 pm.

News & Stats

• LeDee ended with 20 points (4-8) and seven rebounds
• Trammell finished with 11 points and four assists
• Parrish had nine points and ten rebounds
• Waters finished with only nine points
• Blackshear finished with a game-high 22 points
• Lucas ended with 15 points and five rebounds
• SDSU shot just 15.8% from beyond the arc

Chris Spiering

Chris is a graduate of the University of San Diego. He is the former Sports Editor for the USDVista newspaper. Chris has covered the San Diego Loyal, and now covers San Diego State Men’s Basketball. He also contributes regularly about the Padres. Chris is an athlete and is a huge fan of San Diego sports.