Talk to San Diego State head coach Steve Fisher, and he’ll tell you that the sixth-ranked Aztecs’ most instrumental player on the floor is quickly turning into their most valuable.
Senior point guard D.J. Gay had a career-high 30 points in an 87-77 win over the UNM men’s basketball team.
“I’ve said it repeatedly,” Fisher said. “D.J. Gay is our most important player. I have somewhat qualified it and made him mad saying that he’s not our best player, but … he’s inching up to not being only our most important player but our best player.” Coming into the game, Gay averaged only 11.4 points per contest this season but has been a crucial puzzle piece for the 19-0 SDSU squad.
And if you ask Gay, playing in The Pit brings out the best in him.
Last season, in an overtime loss to UNM in Albuquerque, Gay set a career-high 25 points, but he missed a free throw that could have clinched the game for SDSU.
Gay said that loss sticks with him.
“You never forget having the ball in your hands to win the game and missing the shot,” he said. “I’m not going to lie. It was on my mind as we played tonight, but luckily our shot was falling, and I was able to come out here and have a great game.”
And he had more than a great game Saturday.
UNM head coach Steve Alford wanted the Lobos to clog the middle and stop the Aztecs’ power and finesse game. The defensive inside scheme worked for the Lobos, but it left several open perimeter shots for SDSU, with Gay cashing in more often than not.
“You have got to pick your poison (with SDSU),” Alford said.
Gay also got a little bit of revenge for the Aztecs.
In SDSU’s 88-86 defeat last year, former Lobo Darington Hobson nailed a half-court shot at the first-half buzzer.
With three seconds to go in the half on Saturday, UNM’s Philip McDonald missed a 3-point attempt. The Aztecs nabbed the rebound and Gay found himself with the ball at only half court. He let off a shot and nailed it as the buzzer sounded.
“He plays with no fear and no agenda,” Fisher said.
That about finished the Lobos before the second half even began.
Aztec sophomore Kawhi Leonard said Gay’s long-range 3 was the spark the Aztecs needed.
“It brought us great energy …,” Leonard said. “We’ve been doing that in shoot-arounds, and this time it just raised our spirits for the next half.”
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Aside from the great shot from half court, Gay had two of his best games as a college athlete at The Pit. He said it’s something about the Lobo faithful’s rowdiness.
“I think it’s the crowd,” Gay said. “I love coming here and playing here. It’s a very great arena and crowd.”
