San Diego State's men's basketball program had won eight straight games against Wyoming, with four straight coming on the road. However, any time a team that plays at sea level goes 7,100 feet in the air, things have the potential to go haywire.
Not only did the Aztecs not suffer a letdown against the Cowpokes ... they actually shot the ball BETTER than they usually do. SDSU shot 46.2% from 3-point range and 50% from the field overall in an 80-75 win in Laramie, getting one of their toughest treks out of the way early and running their record to 12-3 (3-0 in Mountain West Conference play).
Junior guard Lamont Butler set the tone in the 1st half. Usually a pass-first point guard, Butler hit his first four shots, all from 3-point range, and finished with a career-high 23 points. In a tightly-contested game neither team either reached a double-digit lead. The largest advantage was when Adam Seiko hit a 3-pointer to put the Aztecs up 39-31, but Wyoming shaved that lead down to just one point by halftime.
After the break it was nip-and-tuck. There were eight lead changes over the final 20 minutes and when a game is grinding down to the end, you need a senior to take over. Matt Bradley did just that. Bradley scored nine points in six and a half minutes (and finished with 18 points) to make sure the Aztecs did not let one get away.
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The Aztecs are back at it on Tuesday night at Viejas Arena when they host Nevada.
