There was certainly a trend amongst the three games preceding San Diego State (22-7, 13-4 Mountain West Tournament) and Fresno State (19-13, 8-9 MWC).
Low scoring with physical defense, emphasis on physical. Winning teams escaped with margins of two, three and two points.
The Aztecs and Bulldogs decided to follow the recipe to a T, playing tough defense and missing plenty of shots but still pulled out a 53-46 victory to advance to the quarterfinals.
“If you like late-night basketball and defense, this was your game,” head coach Brian Dutcher said. “It was a struggle to score and I thought we pressed to hard in the first half trying to score on the first side of the floor… we know every time we play them (Fresno State), what it’s going to be like.