Tucker Anderson made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 6.8 seconds left, helping the visiting Utah State Aggies pull off a 67-66 upset of the No. 20 San Diego State Aztecs in their Mountain West Conference matchup on Saturday.
Anderson had 14 points off the bench, including four 3-pointers, while Ian Martinez led Utah State (12-1, 2-0 MWC) with 17 points. Mason Falslev chipped in 16 points and Deyton Albury had 11 for the Aggies, who trailed by 18 points late in the first half before rallying to beat a ranked team on the road for the first time since December 1991.
Nick Boyd and Miles Byrd each scored 14 points to lead San Diego State (8-3, 1-1), which had a five-game winning streak snapped.
Trailing by 11 at halftime, Utah State began the second half with a 10-2 run, capped when Albury’s three-point play cut the deficit to 45-42 with 15:09 left.
Boyd then scored back-to-back baskets to extend San Diego State’s lead to seven with 13:09 remaining.
After Miles Heide’s layup pushed the Aztecs’ advantage to 51-44, Anderson hit a 3-pointer and Falslev made a layup to pull the Aggies’ within two points for the first time since the opening minute of the game.
Jared Coleman-Jones’ hook shot gave the Aztecs a 55-53 lead at the 6:41 mark, but Utah State got a free throw from Aubin Gateretse another layup from to take its first lead of the game at 56-55.
After Boyd and Anderson traded pairs of free throws, Coleman-Jones’ dunk began an 8-0 San Diego State run.
Trailing 65-58 with 1:56 left, Martinez converted a three-point play and Anderson hit a 3-pointer to trim the Aggies’ deficit to one with 1:16 remaining. Boyd split a pair of free throws before Anderson’s game-winner.
After Byrd’s 3-pointer gave the Aztecs a 7-0 lead, Falslev’s layup cracked the scoring column for the Aggies at the 17:38 mark. Martinez’s layup later trimmed Utah State’s deficit to 18-11, before two free throws from Byrd began a 7-1 Aztecs’ burst, pushing San Diego State’s lead to 25-12.
Albury’s dunk cut the Aggies’ deficit to 34-22 with 4:33 remaining, before BJ Davis’ jumper began a 6-0 San Diego State spurt, which extended the advantage to 40-22.
Taj DeGourville’s 3-pointer gave San Diego State a 43-27 lead with 32 seconds left in the half, but Martinez’s triple and Falslev’s layup cut the Aggies’ halftime-deficit to 43-32. Byrd paced San Diego State with 12 points in the first half, while Falslev led the Aggies with 11.
–Field Level Media
