(Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images)
In his freshman year, San Diego State's Magoon Gwath was making a serious name for himself. The 7'0" center is 5th in the nation in shot blocking and he was starting to put up consistent double-doubles, prompting talent evaluators to start putting him on NBA Draft scouting reports.
So, when he went down with an injury in the opening minutes of the SDSU's game at Utah State, the Aztecs were in big trouble. Luckily, Gwath was diagnosed with a hyperextended knee, giving hope he'll be able to play again this year. But, the Aztecs were not able to overcome his absence in a 79-71 loss to the Aggies that dealt a serious blow to their NCAA Tournament resume.
SDSU started the game making just one of their first 10 shots as they had trouble trying to find their offensive rhythm. They trailed 33-26 at halftime but started to figure things out after the break. A pair of B.J. Davis three-pointers gave them a 34-33 lead then the two Mountain West foes traded blows for the next 15 minutes.
Nick Boyd hit a layup, two of his team-high 15 points, to give SDSU a 69-65 lead with 3:42 to play. That bucket was the last field goal the Aztecs would make, a bad time to go into another offensive slump. The Aggies finished the game on a 14-2 run, with 11 of those points coming from the free throw line.
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The loss drops the Aztecs to 18-7 and 11-5 in conference play. SDSU was already sitting on the March Madness bubble. Losing the season series to USU, and perhaps losing Gwath for a few games, will certainly count against them on Selection Sunday (assuming they don't win the MWC Tournament and an automatic bid, of course).
Things don't get any easier for San Diego State. They have a quick turnaround and host first place New Mexico at Viejas Arena on Tuesday night.
