It was a sloppy ugly physical game in the first half with both teams missing baskets, fouling, and fumbling the ball. Many of the crazy bounces seemed to end up in the Aztecs’ favor early on.
Perhaps a little frustrated with his play (0-4 shooting), Brandon Miller picked up his second foul at the 14:49 mark and had to find a spot on the bench. He would soon return but appeared to be whistled for a third foul. However, the foul was instead mistakenly called on Mark Sears. This near-perilous situation earned him another visit to a seat next to Coach Nate Oats.