Lamont Butler hit a jump shot on the market, sending San Diego State to its first national championship game with a 72-71 victory over fellow mid-major Florida Atlantic in the Final Four on Saturday night.
With FAU up by three, San Diego State’s Jaydon Leddy hit a short jumper to cut it to 71-70.
After FAU’s Jonelle Davis missed a contested layup, the Aztecs didn’t call timeout and got the ball to Butler. He worked the clock before hitting the shot that sent the Aztecs running down the floor.
“The plan was just to go downhill,” Butler said after the game. “They cut me a little bit. I looked up and there were two seconds left, so I took a shot that I felt comfortable with and I hit it. I’m happy.”
The Aztecs had a timeout remaining on that final possession, but head coach Brian Dutcher said his “play was over, so I decided not to call a timeout.”
San Diego State will face either UConn or Miami in Monday’s championship game.
In an impressive comeback, San Diego State erased a 14-point second-half deficit, the third-largest comeback in Final Four history, according to CBS Sports.
Photo by Tyler Schank/NCAA via Getty Images
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