San Diego State’s Men’s Basketball team was living a dream season.
A No. 5 seed with a win over a No. 1 seed (Alabama), the Aztecs had the look of a team of destiny.
UConn stood in the way of a dream season coming true for SDSU.
The Huskies became the Aztecs’ worst nightmare.
Utilizing size and a special player in Adama Sanogo, UConn closed out a dream season of its own by capturing the fifth national championship in school history with a 76-59 victory over San Diego State in Houston, Texas to realize its own dream.
UConn led 36-24 at the half. San Diego State pulled within six in the second half, but that’s as close as the Aztecs would come.
In the end, the balance of the Huskies wore down the Aztecs, led by Sanogo.
Sanogo was dominant the entire tournament, averaging 20.2 points, and 9.8 rebounds in the first five games of the tournament.
He rose to the occasion in the title game with 17 points and 10 boards and was named the Most Oustanding Player of the Final Four.
Tristen Newton scored 19 points and added 10 boards and Jordan Hawkins collected 16 points.
Keshad Johnson led SDSU with 14 points. Lamont Butler and Darrion Trammell each added 13 points.
Although San Diego State couldn’t come up with an answer for UConn’s offense, the Aztecs did make the Mountain West Conference proud with grit and drive.
The Aztecs drove all the way to the championship game. The finish line never materialized for SDSU, but the way they finished the season was memorable.