Aztecs Can’t Climb Out of a 15-0 Hole at Utah, and Frustration Shows

SALT LAKE CITY —  When the San Diego State basketball team took to the road for its first Western Athletic Conference trip 4 days ago, the Aztecs were filled with enthusiasm.

Two home WAC victories had sent the Aztecs confidently packing for a 2-game trip to Brigham Young and Utah.

How 3 days can turn things around. The team that is scheduled to return to San Diego today is a frustrated, splintered group.

Two losses, the latest an 80-61 beating by Utah Saturday night in front of 12,109 at Huntsman Center, had some of the players questioning their drive.

“Sometimes it seems like there are guys on this team that don’t care, that don’t want to play,” SDSU point guard Bryan Williams said. “They give up. If we are going to play, we have got to play as a team.”

Except for a too-little, too-late rally in the second half, the Aztecs (8-6, 2-2 in WAC) looked like anything but a team against the Utes (11-8, 2-2).

They fell behind, 15-0, in the first 5 minutes and spent the rest of the game trying to wipe away that embarrassment. More often than not they failed, especially with an on-court demeanor that resulted in technical fouls for center Mitch McMullen and guard Michael Best.

McMullen’s technical in the first half was part of what turned into a 5-point play for the Utes. Best’s came in the middle of Utah’s game-clinching final run.

“That was embarrassing to have two technicals called on us,” SDSU Coach Jim Brandenburg said.

Best was called for shoving the ball back at umpire Bill Gracey after he was called for his fifth personal foul with 6:28 to play. When Brandenburg tried to talk with Best at the bench, Best pushed him aside.

“I was trying to talk to him about what has to be done as far as being part of a basketball team,” Brandenburg said. “(The push) is something in the heat of battle.”

Williams blamed Best’s technical on frustration.

“Mike plays hard, and he gets frustrated when other people don’t want to play hard,” Williams said. “I can understand where he is coming from. It seems like some of the other players don’t care.”

Williams didn’t specify who he was speaking about, except to cite McMullen’s problems.

“He gets frustrated when things don’t go his way,” Williams said. “But he can’t make fouls and not concentrate on his game.”

An unprompted McMullen agreed.

“We’re just not practicing hard enough,” he said. “We have got to completely change our attitude, especially me. I get lazy in practice, and when I get into the games and things don’t come easy, I get frustrated.”

McMullen had good reason to feel that way after missing all six of his shots from the field and scoring an Aztec-career-low two points. It was the end of a troubled trip for McMullen, who scored just 13 points and made 7 turnovers in an 85-81 loss to Brigham Young Thursday.

Injuries and illness compounded SDSU’s difficulties.

Williams started, played 36 minutes and scored a team-high 16 points despite a flu that has limited him the past week. Senior forward Sam Johnson, playing on a sprained left ankle, scored 4 points and had 6 rebounds in 20 minutes. Reserve guard Rodney Jones left the game in the first half with a sprained left foot and exited the arena on crutches. And freshman forward Dana Jackson played despite having injured his shooting hand in a pregame practice.

Brandenburg said the injury was to blame for Jackson shooting air balls on consecutive free throws in the first half, the second missing worse than the first.

SDSU went 5:07 without scoring a point until Best made a 10-footer in the lane. That ended a span in which the Aztecs missed eight shots and two free throws and committed a turnover.

SDSU never got closer than 19-5 the rest of the half, and the Utes stretched their lead to 28-7 at 11:13.

The Aztecs did manage a fairly effective comeback after trailing, 40-22, at the half, rallying to within 52-43 on Tony Ross’ fast-break layup with 8:34 to play. But Utah responded by scoring the next seven points in a 1:03 span to take a 59-43 lead.

SDSU’s chances of mounting another run disappeared when Best fouled out with 6:28 remaining while unsuccessfully trying to stop a layup attempt by senior forward Watkins (Boo) Singletary. Best was then was called for the technical.

The Utes missed the two free throws but retained possession, and Mitch Smith scored on a reverse layup to give them a 66-48 lead with 6:11 left. Singletary made the front of a 1-and-1 14 seconds later to increase the lead to 67-48 as Utah put the Aztecs away.