San Diego State did not play well in the first half against UNLV on Saturday afternoon at Viejas Arena. The Aztecs went 6-for-24 from the floor; a dismal 25-percent shooting that’s become all too familiar, and trailed the Rebels by 24-17.
At that point, head coach Steve Fisher had seen enough.
“At halftime, I watched,” said Fisher. “I thought we moped off the floor, so I complained about anything I could complain about, and that was one of the things. You’ve got to act like you expect to win. You’ve got to act like you expect to make those shots. When you get your shot, shoot it.”
The point hit home. In the second half, SDSU made 15 of 28 shots (53.5-percent) and used a late 22-5 run to beat UNLV 53-47, thanks in large part to guys who came off the bench.
Angelo Chol had eight points, Dakari Allen five points, Trey Kell four points and Malik Pope two points (on an almost immorally athletic slam dunk in the first half after Kell made a steal and fed him in transition). San Diego State’s bench outscored UNLV’s bench 19-0. That is not a typo. 19-0.
I suppose it’s a slight understatement to say the Aztecs have a lot more depth.
SDSU improves to 14-4 overall and 4-1 in the Mountain West Conference, tied with New Mexico for second place, a half-game behind Wyoming.
