San Diego State senior forward Aguek Arop scored nine points off the bench to help the Aztecs beat Miami in a 2023 NCAA Division I men's college basketball tournament semifinal Saturday in Houston. File Photo by Derrick Tuskan/San Diego State
April 2 (UPI) -- Lamont Butler hit a buzzer-beating jump shot to lead San Diego State to a dramatic win over Florida Atlantic, before UConn's defense shut down Miami to advance to the finale of the men's basketball tournament.
UConn made 49.1% of their shot attempts in the 72-59 win over Miami on Saturday at NRG Stadium in Houston. San Diego State, who trailed by as many as 14 points, used stingy defense to shut down Florida Atlantic before Butler's dramatic jump shot gave them a 72-71 win.
The Aztecs will meet the Huskies in the title game Monday at NRG Stadium in Houston.
"I don't think anything is going to sink in until it's over with," Butler told reporters. "I'm just so happy we're in this position and we got a chance to win a national championship."
Butler, who totaled nine points, sent the Aztecs to the finale when he drove toward the baseline, flicked his wrist and dropped a short shot through the net as the final buzzer sounded. The Aztecs made 9 of 18 3-point attempts in the win.
Florida Atlantic held the lead for the majority of the first national semifinal. The Aztecs then roared back down the stretch to clinch the first ticket to the finale.
Senior guard Matt Bradley totaled 21 points and six rebounds in the win. He made four 3-pointers for the Aztecs, who will make their first appearance in the title game. Senior forward Jaedon Ledee scored 12 points off the bench.
Sophomore guard Alijah Martin scored a game-high 26 points for the Owls.
The Owls went up 5-0 through the first 1:12. The Aztecs answered with 14 unanswered points. The Owls rallied with a 16-3 run and went on lead 40-33 at halftime. They also led for the first 15:34 of the second half.
Forward Aguek Arop tied the score at 65-65 with 4:26 remaining, but Owls forward Giancarlo Rosado tied the game on the next possession. The Aztecs went on to trail for the next four minutes before Butler's final shot.
Martin made a reverse layup to give the Owls a 71-68 advantage with 47 seconds remaining. LeDee hit a shot off the glass nine seconds later to cut the deficit to one. Davis missed on the next possession, leading to the Aztecs' final sequence.
Forward Nathan Mensah pulled down a defensive rebound to start the play. He then passed to Butler on the right flank. The Aztecs guard caught the feed and dribbled down the other end.
He then faced up with several defenders near the 3-point arc. Butler drove to his right and planted his foot near the baseline. He then dribbled left, elevated and released the final shot as the buzzer sounded, sending the Aztecs to the title game.
In the late game, UConn forward Adama Sanogo logged 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Huskies to a win over the Hurricanes. The Hurricanes made just 32.3% of their shots in the loss. The Huskies, who never trailed, led by as many as 20 points.
The Huskies opened the game on a 9-2 run. The Hurricanes later answered with a 13-3 run to tie the score. The Huskies then scored eight unanswered points to take control. They led 37-24 at halftime and outscored the Hurricanes 9-2 to start the second half and pushed their lead to 46-26.
The Hurricanes responded with an 11-3 run, but couldn't overcome the large deficit.
Huskies guard Jordan Hawkins scored 10 of his 13 points in the second half. Hurricanes guard Isaiah Wong scored a team-high 15 points in the loss. Fellow Hurricanes guard Jordan Miller chipped in 11 points, 10 rebounds and three assists in the setback.
The Huskies will meet the Aztecs at 9:20 p.m. EDT Monday in Houston. The game will air on CBS.
