San Diego State had little trouble ending the March Madness favorite Furman’s streak, getting 16 points off Micah Parrish to put together a balanced scoring attack and clinch a 75-52 victory Saturday in the second round of the tournament. of the NCAA.
Darrion Trammell had 13 points, Lamont Butler added 12 and leading scorer Matt Bradley finished with 10 for San Diego State (29-6), which is headed for its first sweet 16 since 2004. The Aztecs have won 11 of their last 13 games. and will play either Alabama or Maryland next week in the Southern Region semifinals in Louisville, Kentucky.
San Diego State is the first team from the Mountain West Conference to reach the Sweet 16 since Nevada in 2018. It will be the third regional semifinal for the Aztecs and the seventh for the Mountain West overall.
Two days after shrugging off cold shots and overcoming a 12-point second-half deficit to stun No.4 seed Virginia 68-67 on a JP Pegues 3-pointer, Furman was out-muscled and gradually worn down. for the much more physical. Aztecs.
Conference South player of the year Jalen Slawson committed his fourth foul with 16:27 remaining and fouled out shortly after returning midway through the second half. The super senior stomped on the floor in protest, drawing a technical foul that gave San Diego State a pair of free throws that put the Aztecs up 60-37.
Mike Bothwell led the Paladins (28-8) with 15 points. Alex Williams had 11 and Pegues finished with 11 as Furman shot 32%, including 6-for-26 from three-point range.
