San Diego State outlasts BYU in Double Overtime
By James Pigott
Nov 24, 2014; Lahaina, Maui, HI, USA; San Diego State Aztecs square off for the opening jump ball against the Brigham Young Cougars during the 2014 EA Sports Maui Invitational at the Lahaina Civic Center. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Despite a second half comeback led by Tyler Haws, BYU was unable to hang on against San Diego State, ultimately falling to the Aztecs 92-87 in double overtime. In the first overtime, BYU had a lead of five points with 90 seconds left after an Anson Winder three pointer on those soft Maui rims, a Kyle Collinsworth floater, and a Tyler Haws jumper. However, after a J.J. O’Brien putback for San Diego State to cut the lead to three, the Aztecs put on the full court press. Winder caught the inbounds pass, was trapped in the corner and called timeout. Then, the Cougars successfully got the ball to half court when Chase Fischer got called for traveling on a controversial call. The Aztecs tied the game at 76 on one of Aqeel Quinn’s six three pointers. Double overtime was all Aztecs, as they simply overwhelmed BYU with their athleticism.
Haws finished the game with 26 points on just 9/24 shooting for the Cougars, while Collinsworth showed that he’s back at 100 percent with 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists. Three other Cougars scored in double figures: Winder (14), Isaac Neilson (12), and Chase Fischer (11).
San Diego State had a surprisingly strong offensive showing behind Aqeel Quinn’s 22 points off the bench, while Winston Shepard added 18 points and 8 rebounds. Freshman point guard Trey Kell added 14 points, while J.J. O’Brien had an impressive stat line of 13 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists.
Stat of the Night
San Diego State shot 48.5% from the field while BYU was a full 10% lower. Coming into the game, BYU was supposed to be the superior offensive team while San Diego State had major struggles putting the ball in the basket. Struggling players like Winston Shepard and JJ O’Brien had breakout games of the season, and BYU’s defense let them down more than their offense.
Moving Forward
Unfortunately for BYU’s non-conference strength of schedule, they will play Chaminade in the second round of the Maui Invitational. They have roughly a 14 hour turnaround from a game that went to two overtimes. Ideally, the Cougars could take a big lead early, allowing Tyler Haws (48 minutes vs. SDSU), Kyle Collinsworth (45), Chase Fischer (42), and Anson Winder (37), some time to rest during this grueling three games in three days stretch.