The San Diego State men’s basketball team narrowly escaped going one-and-done in the Mountain West tournament as they defeated the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels 74-71 in overtime in the quarterfinal matchup at the Thomas and Mack Center.

After they lost a 10-point lead in the final 6:33, UNLV took a four-point lead in the first two minutes of overtime. The Aztecs answered with 4-0 and 5-0 runs with a UNLV dunk in between, but it was the five of six free throws in overtime that made the difference.

Shooting issues were a major factor in the first half where they trailed 27-22 at halftime. However, the defense kept it only a five-point game.

The Aztecs began the second half on a 19-7 run which included a 12-0 run over 3:10 to give them a 41-34 lead with 13:48 remaining. Darrion Trammell tied the game with a three at the arch to make it 34-34 with 16:18 to go.

San Diego State led 60-50 with 6:33 left, but a 7-0 UNLV run over two minutes and three missed free throw attempts in the final 30 seconds gave Dedan Thomas Jr. the opportunity for the game-tying jumper with 0.5 seconds remaining in the second half.

UP NEXT: The No. 5 Aztecs will play No. 1 Utah State on Friday at 6:30 p.m. PT at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.