The Colorado St. Rams must now wait until Sunday to find out their NCAA Tournament fate. After leading the No. 1 San Diego State Aztecs at halftime, 39-38, the No. 4 Rams were unable to sustain that momentum, losing 79-69.
Jamaal Franklin and Chase Tapley brought the heat for the Aztecs on Friday night, scoring 19 and 17 points, respectively. But they did contribute outside of just scoring. Franklin grabbed six rebounds and dished the ball out for three assists while Tapley pulled doled out the ball for six assists, pulled down four boards and stole the ball twice. The Aztecs won the rebounding battle, 37-23.
The Rams lived by the three-point shot in the first half, hitting on six of 11 attempts. In the second half, the Rams hit just two of their 11 tries. Dorian Green led the way with 20 points and four steals while Jesse Carr and Dwight Smith scored 17 and 12 points, respectively.
The Aztecs await the winner of New Mexico-UNLV in the title game.
For more on the 2012 Mountain West Tournament, stick with SB Nation Denver and Mountain West Connection. Head over to SB Nation NCAA Basketball for more on March Madness.
