Sports
Aztecs, Tritons spark new San Diego city rivalry with buzzer-beating basketball game – NBC San Diego
San Diego State’s basketball program just made its first Final Four appearance. UC San Diego’s basketball team has to wait one more year to be eligible to play in the NCAA Tournament.
If what we saw on Friday night in front of a sellout crowd at LionTree Arena is any indication, both programs will be regular March Madness participants for years to come.
Aztecs senior forward Jaedon LeDee grabbed a rebound and scored as the final second ticked off the clock to give SDSU a thrilling 63-62 win over the Tritons. It would have been the biggest win ever for UCSD, who only elevated to the Division 1 level three years ago and is still on an NCAA-mandated transition period where they’re ineligible to play in postseason tournaments.
The Tritons had control for most of the game. Paced by 15 points from Torrey Pines High School alum Bryce Pope, UC San Diego took a 14-point lead with less than eight minutes to play. Then the Final Four hero took control.
Lamont Butler sparked a 13-0 run, scoring eight points himself during the surge, to cut the lead to one. Both teams traded buckets for a few minutes, leading to drama at the end. Butler missed a 3-pointer but LeDee, who has put himself squarely in the All-American conversation with his early play, grabbed the rebound and got the putback to go at the buzzer.
The win pushes SDSU’s record to 7-1 while UCSD falls to 4-4. Both teams are back at it on Tuesday with the Aztecs heading to Phoenix to face Grand Canyon and the Tritons hosting Occidental.
