Lamont Butler made a jumper at the buzzer, sending San Diego State to its first national championship game with a 72-71 win over fellow mid-major Florida Atlantic in the men’s Final Four on Saturday night in Houston.
“It’s unbelievable,” Butler said. “This is what I came here to do. I’m glad the shot went in. I’m just happy for my team right now.”
San Diego State (32-6) appeared to be in trouble as the free-flowing Owls (35-4) picked them apart while building a 14-point lead.
San Diego State got back in it, as it always does, with defense.
SDSU shut down FAU and pulled within one when Jaedon LeDee hit a short jumper with 36 seconds left. After FAU’s Johnell Davis missed a contested layup, San Diego State didn’t call timeout and got the ball to Butler.
The clock ticking down, Butler dribbled to the baseline, found that cut off and circled back. He stepped back to create a little room and hit a jumper that sent SDSU racing out onto the floor — and into Monday’s championship game against UConn or Miami.
“The plan was just to get downhill,” Butler said. “They cut me off a little bit. I looked up, there was two seconds left, so I got to a shot that I’m comfortable with. And I hit it.”
San Diego State’s defense has played a key role in its run to the final. It clamped down on four consecutive opponents to open the NCAA Tournament.
San Diego State had no answer for the swaggy Owls in the first half, allowing them to hit 5 of 11 from three-point range to build a 40-33 halftime lead.
FAU stretched the lead to 14 midway through the second half.
Then SDSU got gritty.
Contesting nearly every shot and pass while pulling down a string of offensive rebounds, San Diego State rallied into a tie at 65-65. Matt Bradley led the offense in the second half and finished with 21 points after struggling with his shot in the previous three games.
Alijah Martin kept FAU in it, scoring 19 of his 26 points in the second half, seeming to have an answer for every San Diego State move.
He didn’t get a chance for a final one.
— John Marshall | AP Basketball Writer