Decision-making, lost shooting touch doom No. 20 Aztecs against Utah State – elcajon newson Elcajon News only

In the second half of a rollicking, elbowing, cage match Saturday against Utah State, the growing cost of decision-making mounted.

San Diego State, the team that built a hulking 18-point lead at Viejas Arena, watched the Aggies climb back from the abyss in a game that had felt like theirs for so long.

Yes, Utah State’s renowned matchup zone played an undeniable part.

So did too much dribbling, too many 3s, too many cross-court passes and too many fractured late-shot-clock choices in the Aggies’ 67-66 stunner over the No. 20 Aztecs.

“We were very dominant in the first half,” said guard Miles Byrd, who scored 14 points before fouling out. “Shows a glimpse of what kind of team we are.

“Then, like you said, we’re a young team. So we showed our lack of maturity (too).”

The Aztecs were a wrecking ball in the first half … and wrecked in the second.

Trying to machete through the Aggies’ zone eventually led to short clocks and make-or-break moments. San Diego State hit six 3s in the first half, then spiraled the drain by going 0-for-11 after halftime.

Paths to the rim dried up in the final 20 minutes.

Then came some panicked moments, which is understandable for a group with so many new faces coming together for the first time. San Diego State is used to fifth-year seniors who have seen and experienced more.

The rugged Mountain West road is pockmarked and axle-jarring. Learning happens at warp speed along the way.

“I truly don’t think the final score tells the whole story,” Byrd said. “There was a point in the first half where I think we looked really, really good, like a top-10 team in the country.

“Just be more solid. We’ve got to keep maturing game by game so that we don’t give up runs late in the half and we don’t give up runs late in the second half.”

This teaching moment felt especially bruising.

First, there’s the unique pain of losing a lead so large. Then there’s what awaits with trips, on the road and at altitude, to Boise State and The Pit in Albuquerque seven days apart.

January could become a meat grinder.

That’s why leaving this one on the court felt outsized beyond one physical Mountain West slugfest. The wins get tougher and tougher for a while, with metrics and the NCAA Tournament resume trying to survive the ride.

“It’s just about mental toughness,” said Aztecs guard Nick Boyd, who added 14 of his own but finished 1-for-6 from 3. “I just feel like we let our shots dictate our defense at some points in the game and that kind of cost us.”

Some of the mental lapses came in concentration.

When ball security mattered late, the Aztecs slipped just enough to make it hurt.

“They made us play all the way to the end of the shot clock where we had to hoist a couple up,” SDSU coach Brian Dutcher said. “… We fumbled too many balls late. We couldn’t catch them. We threw some cross-court passes that if you can catch it clean, maybe you can get a shot.”

Meanwhile, Utah State was an 11-1 lesson in patience that stole one they seemed destined to lose to become 12-1. They kept plugging away and refused to let the roof-rattling at Viejas shake them off their foundation.

The contact came in final possessions.

San Diego State led by seven points with 1:32 to play. Thirteen seconds later, it had alarmingly melted to one. Boyd made a free throw to double the advantage.

Then Boyd missed a free throw, BJ Davis rimmed out a 3 and the Aggies had the ball with 30 seconds left.

Then swung the ball to Tucker Anderson — a 25.5% 3-point shooter — and he drained it from the wing with seven seconds to go. San Diego State guard

Wayne McKinney III swung wide instead of attacking the lane and settled for the final missed 3 of a miserable shooting second half.

Game over.

“Six seconds, go to the basket,” Dutcher said. “Get to the rim, make them call the foul. We ended up pulling up. I thought Wayne was a little bit indecisive and not sure what he wanted to do. Then pulled and shot a three.

“… But I’m the perfect example of that, aren’t I? Two years ago, we went to the national championship game because I didn’t take a timeout. They would have been on me for years to come if we had not won the game. … That’s basketball.”

At San Diego State, defense routinely settles things.

Sometimes decision-making does, too.