SDSU’s Drought Continues, 64-62

For 40 days and 40 nights, San Diego State’s basketball team had hungered for a victory. Then Thursday night, when it appeared that the Aztec victory fast might cease in front of 1,199 fans in the Sports Arena, they tasted another defeat.

Darryl Gaines of SDSU missed a desperation 25-footer at the buzzer as the Aztecs lost to Colorado State, 64-62, extending their school-record losing streak to 13 games.

A majority of the losses have been one-sided, but at least SDSU is getting closer lately. The Aztecs had lost their previous game by one point in overtime to Miami.

This time, SDSU inbounded the ball under its basket with four seconds remaining and moved past midcourt in two seconds before calling a timeout. The Aztecs were hoping that the final shot would be taken by guards Gaines, Tony Ross or Josh Lowery.

Gaines was momentarily open but his final shot missed all but the left side of the backboard.

“I was hoping to come closer than I came,” Gaines said. “I had a pretty good shot a little far out. The more and more losses we have, the worse it gets.”

SDSU is 0-9 in the Western Athletic Conference and 2-19 overall. Colorado State is 5-6 in the WAC and 11-11 overall.

It appeared that the Aztecs might take control when they scored nine unanswered points early in the second half, taking a 45-39 lead with 16:42 remaining.

However, SDSU did not score again until Ross hit a 19-foot shot with 9:20 remaining. During the Aztecs’ 7-minute 22-second dry spell, Colorado State scored nine points.

“I think we played conservatively when we had a six-point lead,” SDSU center Gerald Murray said. “We relaxed, and the game went down to the end. That’s what happens when you don’t put teams away when you’re supposed to.”

After SDSU took a 58-56 lead with 4:04 remaining, the Rams scored six unanswered points. Gaines and Murray both committed turnovers in the stretch and Ross missed by plenty on a 15-foot field-goal attempt.

Murray cut Colorado State’s lead to 62-60 on a hook shot with 1:39 remaining. Barry Bailey scored a layup with 25 seconds remaining, giving the Rams a 64-60 lead. Ross made two free throws with 15 seconds remaining, then Bailey missed the front end of a one-and-one with five seconds remaining. Murray rebounded and called a timeout, setting up the last-second strategy.

Pat Durham of Colorado State had game-highs of 21 points and 8 rebounds. Ross scored 19 and Gaines scored 10 for SDSU.

“Winning teams have at least one guy who’s a scorer,” said Coach Smokey Gaines, Darryl’s father. “We don’t have what you would call a scorer.”

The Aztecs have not won since defeating Manhattan College, 77-69, on Dec. 27.

“Now, it’s a situation where everyone feels when we are going to lose,” Smokey Gaines said. “We’re playing not to lose, rather than to win.”