Utah State, Tucker Anderson Drills Last-Second Shot To Defeat San Diego State
Dec 28, 2024, 8:02 PM | Updated: Dec 30, 2024, 10:08 pm
SAN DIEGO, California– The Utah State Aggies enjoyed their Christmas after going into the holiday break with a win on the road against Saint Mary’s to move to 11-1.
While the win over the Gaels was an important piece of their March resume, their focus quickly had to shift to the Mountain West Conference calendar with two tough road tests against San Diego State and Nevada to ring in the New Year.
The Aggies traveled to Viejas Arena to take on the No. 20 Aztecs in a nationally televised game that Mountain West Basketball fans know may well be a preview of the Conference Championship Game in March.
Saturday Showdown 🤘
🆚 San Diego State
➡️ 4:00 PM
➡️ San Diego, CA
📺 FOX
🔊 https://t.co/maMC38nN6C pic.twitter.com/Dx8bxCrwNi— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) December 28, 2024
The narrative heading into the matchup between Utah State and San Diego State was about the clash of the Aggies’ high-flying offense and the Aztecs’ stonewall defense. Both teams are in the top 30 nationally on their respective sides of the ball.
It was San Diego State that shined early with their defensive pedigree shining through. They threw a press at the Aggies early and throughout the first half, helping them cause nine turnovers, gaining an eight-point bump from the extra possessions.
San Diego State led by as many as 18 points with 1:55 remaining in the first half and looked to be cruising to a big advantage at the break. However, Utah State ripped a 10-3 run in the dying seconds to cut the Aztecs lead to 11 after the first 20 minutes.
The momentum gained from the flurry fueled Utah State as they slowly chipped away at the remaining margin. By the halfway mark of the second half, the Aggies had cut the lead to two, and with 6:19 remaining in the game, they retook the lead.
The two sides went back and forth as it remained a one-possession game for the next three minutes but as the game entered crunch time, the Aggies went on a scoring drought, missing five shots in a row, allowing San Diego State to take advantage and lead by seven with under two minutes remaining. At that point, the Aztecs had an 89.6% chance to win the game according to ESPN Analytics.
College basketball is a 40 minute game.
These are the facts. pic.twitter.com/6agw52x0tO
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) December 29, 2024
Despite the improbability, the Aggies fought on. Ian Martinez made the extra effort for a putback layup. Stout defense on the other end got Utah State a stop and then Tucker Anderson sunk a huge three-pointer to cut the lead to one.
Utah State fouled San Deigo State, but the Aztecs were unable to ice the game from the charity stripe, only making one free throw.
With 29 seconds left, Karson Templin pulled down the rebound following San Diego State’s missed free throw, and down 66-64, Utah State had the chance to either tie the game or take the lead.
The Aggies’ final possession was a bit chaotic and with the final seconds ticking down the ball once again found Tucker Anderson’s hands on the right wing. Even with pressure in his face, Anderson let the shot fly, giving Utah State the one-point lead with seven second remaining.
TUCKER. PAUL. ANDERSON.
😤😤😤 pic.twitter.com/Euw09yNmfI
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) December 29, 2024
The final heave from the Aztecs fell short and the Aggies are headed back to Logan with their first win at Viejas Arena since joining the Mountain West Conference.
DOWN GO THE AZTECS‼️ pic.twitter.com/59BRIlyTY6
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) December 29, 2024
Ian Martinez (17 points, 5 rebounds) and Mason Falslev (16 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 steals) continue their offensive dominance as Utah State’s two leading scorers. However, Tucker Anderson was the X factor with 14 points off the bench, including four three-pointers.
Utah State’s defense stepped up huge during their comeback effort, decreasing San Diego State’s field goal percentage from 52% in the first half to 25.9% in the second half.
Utah State has now beaten Iowa (49 NET) on a neutral floor and Saint Mary’s (56 NET) and San Diego State (42 NET) on the road, good for three Quad 1 wins in their first 13 games and only one loss.
Up Next For The Utah State Aggies
The likely ranked Aggies will have the chance to continue their hot streak on the road when they visit Reno to take on the Nevada Wolf Pack. Utah State will finally return home on January 4 to battle the Bulldogs of Fresno State.
