Lamar Outlasts Aztecs : Basketball: SDSU rallies from 19-point deficit but comes up short in tournament title game.

Those nutty San Diego State Aztecs thought they could follow the same script two nights in a row.

Play a rotten first half. Turn it around in the second. Win.

Two out of three aren’t bad.

The Aztecs got the first two parts down in the championship game of the Texaco State Classic Saturday night in the San Diego Sports Arena, but they ran out of time as they scrambled for their second comeback victory in two nights.

Lamar 71, Aztecs 70, in front of a crowd of 2,429.

Darryl Reed made two free throws with four seconds remaining to give Lamar a four-point lead, 71-67, and clinch the tournament championship.

SDSU guard Arthur Massey, a hero on Friday, threw in a three-point shot at the buzzer. It seemed as if there may have been a second left, but the buzzer sounded and the referees ended the game. Lamar Coach Mike Newell stormed to the scorer’s table and screamed at clock operator Richard Lampkey at game’s end.

Lamar opened an 18-point first-half lead, increased it to 19 early in the second half and then, suddenly, everything changed. Lamar went more than six minutes without scoring, and the Aztec charge began.

After Terry Bridgeman’s three-pointer with 12:42 left put Lamar ahead, 59-40, the Cardinals didn’t score again until Darryl Reed hit an inside shot with 6:35 left. That made it 61-55, Lamar.

In between Lamar baskets, SDSU freshman Joe McNaull put on a show. He had scored SDSU’s first eight points of the half and then, when Lamar turned cold, grabbed four rebounds in a three-minute span.

Massey scored seven points and Courtie Miller five as SDSU went on a furious 15-0 run.

The Aztecs took the lead, 64-63, when Massey made a lay-up with 2:26 remaining. Lamar, though, scored six consecutive points. SDSU cut the gap to two, 69-67, when Massey made three free throws with six seconds left.

But two seconds later, Reed came back with two free throws, and the Aztecs’ four-game winning streak was finished.

Massey led the Aztecs with 25 ponts, and Miller had 13. McNaull had 10 rebounds--nine in the second half. Bridgeman led Lamar with 21 points.

What happened was, SDSU lost this game in the first half.

The first-half list of problems Lamar caused SDSU was much longer than your basic large-family Christmas list. SDSU had trouble with: Lamar’s press; Lamar’s zone trap; passing; offensive rebounding; defensive rebounding; defense, period; running its own offense; Lamar’s quickness.

Lamar led at the half, 49-32, and the Cardinals had SDSU on the ropes pretty much from the time the referee threw up the ball to start the game. After taking an 8-6 lead early, SDSU watched Lamar go on a 20-7 run to take a 26-16 lead with 10:45 remaining in the half.

Eventually, the Cardinals increased it to as much as 18.

Lamar outrebounded SDSU in the half, 22-11. The Aztecs had 13 turnovers at halftime. In their tournament opener Friday against Arkansas State, they had 11 for the entire game.

The turnovers came to the Aztecs like they used to vote in Chicago: early and often. A few came like snow in the east: in flurries.

The worst came midway through the first half. A sequence: Trailing, 22-13, with about 12 minutes left, SDSU came downcourt . . . and Anthony Bledsoe stole the ball from Ray Barefield and passed to Bridgeman for a layup.

SDSU came back . . . and Bledsoe stole the ball form Neil Steinly. Bridgeman finished this Lamar possession with a 10-foot jumper, increasing the lead to 26-13.

On their next possession, the ball went out of bounds to SDSU, which turned out badly because the Aztecs then had trouble getting the ball inbounds. Freshman guard Chris McKinney ended up calling time out with 10:52 left.

SDSU had just six turnovers in the second half.

The Aztecs were outrebounded for the game, though, 41-28.

Arkansas State didn’t have much problem with Drexel in the consolation game, winning 86-72.

Five players scored in double figures for Arkansas State--Bobby Gross (22), Keith Gray (13), Fred Shepherd (12), Phillip McKellar (10) and Dewayne McCray (10). Brian Reaves had 11 assists, tying him for third-most in tournament history.

“I thought as a whole, we played with a lot of character and pride,” said Arkansas State Coach Nelson Cataline. “It’s awful tough, playing on the road four out of (seven) days. And we lost a heartbreaker (Friday) night, let’s be honest.”

The Indians (6-4) were defeated by SDSU Friday, 59-57, after leading most of the way.

Saturday, though, the Indians held their lead. Catalina, though, said his team was uninspired.

“It’s the first time in a long time we’ve been in the consolation round,” he said. “We’re playing at 6, nobody is in the arena, it’s cold and we’re tired and ready for Christmas.”

Tournament Notes

The all-tournament team: Anthony Bledsoe, Lamar, most valuable player; Terry Bridgeman, Lamar; Joe McNaull, SDSU; Arthur Massey, SDSU; Bobby Gross, Arkansas State. . . . Jim Diehl, an SDSU booster who passed out suckers to football players and fans for years on the airplanes during Aztec road trips, died of a heart attack Wednesday. He was 79. A memorial service will be held Thursday at 1:30 p.m. at North Park Community Church.