San Diego State tops Creighton after controversial last-second foul
San Diego State squeaked past Creighton 57-56 to secure its first Final Four berth in program history.
Aztecs guard Darrion Trammell hit the go-ahead free throw with 1.2 seconds remaining after a controversial foul from Bluejays star Ryan Nembhard.
San Diego State heads to the line in a tie game with 1.2 remaining 😮#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/zRP3Hc2KGu
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 26, 2023
"Two teams played their tails off and officiating is part of the game," Creighton head coach Greg McDermott told reporters postgame, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel. "We're not going to go there. We lost the game because we didn't do enough and San Diego State did."
San Diego State is now 9-0 in games decided by five points or less.
It was a tight defensive battle between both squads as neither school shot above 40% from the field. The Aztecs and Bluejays shot a combined 5-of-30 from deep.
Creighton led for the majority of the contest, including a seven-point advantage with 13:14 remaining. However, the Bluejays were outscored 23-15 the rest of the way.
Lamont Butler led San Diego State with 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting, while Ryan Kalkbrenner added 17 points, six boards, and two blocks in a losing cause for Creighton.
The Aztecs will take on Florida Atlantic for a spot in the national championship game.
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