That 40-minute clock that had taken the Wyoming Cowboys to the top of the hour in the first two days of the Mountain West Conference Tournament didn’t have an extra five minutes, and when the hands stopped Saturday night they were pointing to San Diego State.
In the conference’s first overtime tournament championship game, the Aztecs climbed through a steep overtime period for a 69-64 victory at the Pepsi Center, adding the tournament title to their regular-season championship. The Aztecs claimed the conference’s automatic qualifying berth into the NCAA Tournament and kept slim hopes alive that Air Force could get an at-large berth.
It took a tenacious effort by Aztecs guard Brandon Heath to get past the Cowboys, who had been the upset kings in the tournament. Heath struggled through a 7-for-27 shooting night from the field. But down the stretch in overtime he hit two field goals and two free throws for a 66-63 advantage with 19 seconds to play.
The Cowboys weren’t quite done as Brad Jones hit a free throw with 12 seconds left to pull to within two. Then Kyle Spain hit 3-of-4 free-throw attempts in the last 11 seconds to clinch the victory.
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“Our backs were against the wall and when my name was called in overtime, I just tried to answer for my team,” Heath said. “My teammates got me the ball in the right situations, and I just tried to capitalize.”
Coach Steve Fisher was pleased his team played up to the challenge when it counted.
“The thing that impressed me the most was the way we shot the ball … in overtime,” Fisher said. “When we went in overtime we not only fought, defended and guarded, but you saw the Aztecs play the way we played a lot this year. We struggled to make baskets in three games here, and I’m especially proud that we’re the last dog standing.”
The Aztecs shot only 28.8 percent from the floor but made 28-of-37 free throws.
For Wyoming, which entered the tournament as the seventh seed, it was a heartbreaker; the Cowboys could have claimed a berth in the NCAA Tournament with a victory. Coach Steve McClain had spurred his team with the idea that it had to believe for 40 minutes and if it did, there would be another 40 minutes of play. McClain wore the same suit, shirt and tie in all three games and said he would have worn them again had the Cowboys won.
The strategy worked for victories over Air Force and Utah, but it wasn’t good enough in the finale.
“This might have been as good a college game I’ve ever been involved in,” McClain said. “Two teams that had a purpose. They both had something they wanted.”
Frenzied play in the first half only whet the appetite for what was to come. The Aztecs ruled early, taking an 11-4 lead in the first five minutes on a layup by Spain. But the Cowboys came right back and tied the game at 11 on Chris Anderson’s follow.
WYOMING (14-18)
Leven 1-7 0-0 3, Wabbington 2-6 1-2 5, Williams 3-10 1-2 7, Jones 4-12 7-9 15, Ewing 6-14 9-11 22, Okoye 2-2 0-0 4, Lewis 0-2 1-2 1, Anderson 3-6 1-2 7. Totals 21-59 20-28 64.
SAN DIEGO ST. (24-8)
Spain 2-5 7-8 11, Abukar 3-11 0-0 6, Slaughter 3-9 10-13 16, Heath 7-27 6-8 22, Williams 1-4 4-6 6, Sharper 2-6 0-0 5, Davis 1-3 1-2 3, Thomas 0-1 0-0 0, Camara 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-66 28-37 69.
Halftime – San Diego State 32-31. Regulation – Tied 56-56. 3-point goals – Wyoming 2-11 (Leven 1-5, Ewing 1-5, Jones 0-1), San Diego St. 3-17 (Heath 2-8, Sharper 1-5, Williams 0-1, Abukar 0-3). Fouled out – Slaughter, Williams. Rebounds – Wyoming 40 (Williams 16), San Diego St. 51 (Slaughter 13). Assists – Wyoming 10 (Jones 4), San Diego St. 4 (Williams 2). Total fouls – Wyoming 24, San Diego St. 22. A – 10,840.
Staff writer Irv Moss can be reached at 303-820-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
