Hemsley leads SDSU to 78-71 OT win vs New Mexico
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Jeremy Hemsley scored eight of his 23 points in overtime, including a go-ahead jumper in the key with 1:05 left, and San Diego State beat New Mexico 78-71 Saturday to tie the Mountain West Conference record for the best start at 11-0.
The Aztecs (18-6, 11-0) were on the brink of having the winning streak snapped when they forced a turnover on an inbounds play and Malik Pope hit a 3-pointer with 6.6 seconds left to send the showdown of the conference's top two teams into overtime tied at 66.
New Mexico (14-9, 7-3) jumped to a 71-68 lead with 2:10 left in overtime before Hemsley and the Aztecs took over.
Hemsley, who made a jumper on SDSU's first possession of OT, hit a go-ahead shot from the key to put the Aztecs ahead for good at 72-71 with 1:05 left. After Winston Shepard made a layup with 28.7 seconds left, Hemsley sealed it by making four free throws.
Winston Shepard scored 15 and Trey Kell 12 for the Aztecs, who tied the 2003-04 Utah Utes for the best start to a Mountain West season.
New Mexico's Elijah Brown also scored 23 points, including making 12 of 14 free throws. Tim Williams scored 21.
Brown made an off-balance 3-pointer for a 66-63 lead with 21.1 seconds left in regulation. Shepard scored off a rebound with 12.9 seconds left. The Lobos turned the ball over trying to inbound it and Pope hit his big shot to tie it. The Lobos failed to get off a shot before the buzzer.
San Diego State's Skylar Spencer had 8 points and 10 rebounds, and came up big on both ends of the court during a span of just more than a minute that seemingly put the Aztecs in control.
With the Aztecs trailing 39-38, Spencer made a bank shot with 13:01 to go. He then blocked consecutive shots by the Lobos before making a slam dunk for a 42-39 lead. Spencer got his hand on another shot just seconds later.
Spencer had a nice reverse layup during a run that helped give the Aztecs a 48-41 lead with nine minutes to go. But the Aztecs cooled off, including missing several 3-point shots, and the Lobos slowly closed the gap until Adams hit his go-ahead 3.
The Lobos had the upper hand for the first nine minutes, taking an 18-14 lead on an inside shot by Sam Logwood. San Diego's defense then began frustrating the Lobos, helping to fuel a 10-0 run. Kell made the final two baskets of the run, fighting through traffic for a layup and then making a bank shot for a 24-18 lead with 4:30 before halftime.
Undone by sloppy play, the Aztecs didn't score again after Zylan Cheatham made a jump hook for a 28-24 lead with 2:59 to go. The Lobos scored the last five points of the half to take a 29-28, including a three-point play by Williams and a layup by Logwood.
TIP-INS
New Mexico: The Lobos have lost four straight at SDSU's Viejas Arena.
San Diego St.: The Aztecs have won 13 straight MWC games dating to last season.
UP NEXT
New Mexico plays at Utah State on Tuesday night.
San Diego State is at Fresno State on Wednesday night.
