It took a few games, but the BYU Cougars finally made up for an embarrassing spell of free-throw shooting.
Mark Durrant and Kevin Santiago made two free throws apiece in the final 1:08 to put away a 63-60 win over San Diego State on Saturday night.If the Cougars were perfect in the final minute, it wasn't because they always were. They missed the front of several one-and-ones earlier in the evening. And though they are shooting 72 percent on the year, they have been a poor imitation of last season's team - the best in the school's history from the line (82 percent).
But Saturday night, Durrant sank two to give BYU a 61-60 lead and Santiago made two more with 15 seconds left to hand first-year Coach Roger Reid his first WAC victory as a head coach.
"We have had some concerns at the free throw line," said Reid. "We've been missing some front ends of one-and-ones. Hey, we don't hit those at the end tonight, the game's over.
"We're not shooting badly at the line, but we're capable of hitting 80 percent."
The win completed what was an all-around taxing trip for the Cougars, who after going 9-1 to start the year, haven't exactly been going places lately. They closed out their holiday schedule on Dec. 23 by losing by 22 points to Cal-Berkeley and followed on Thursday with an 80-71 defeat at Hawaii.
That was only part of the trouble. BYU Coach Roger Reid, who is having a hip replacement at the end of the season, had to resort to a wheelchair to get through the Honolulu airport Thursday night after the loss at Hawaii - but only at the urging of team trainers and team members.
That, however, wasn't his worst pain. The Cougars continue to struggle over their dilemma at center. Todd Crow, a Dixie College transfer, began the year strong, but since getting sick and spraining an ankle, has been virtually invisible.
He has scored just 13 points in six games, and played only 11 minutes on Saturday.
"We've got to get some production there," said Reid.
But little came from Crow. He started Saturday night's contest, but was replaced only a few minutes into the contest. He returned, but after committing two quick turnovers, left again at the nine-minute mark of th first half, and didn't return until after the break.
Crow's replacement was freshman David Astle, who scored only two points, but had five rebounds and, according to Reid, contributed a major part of the inside defense against the Aztecs. "Overall, I thought we did a nice job on defense, especially in the second half," said Reid.
While Crow wasn't a factor, Andy Toolson, who was shut down Thursday night, making just one of 12 field goal tries, made up ground fast. He scored the Cougars' first seven points, including two 3-point shots. He had nine points at the half, while guard Marty Haws had 11. Toolson finished with a team-high 16, while Santiago added 15.
After falling behind by as many as 10 points in the first half, the Cougars slowly came back. BYU pulled within two, fell behind by seven, and finally settled on a 35-34 deficit at halftime, after Durrant sank two free throws with 14 seconds left.
The Cougars had a chance to take the lead at the half after a SDSU turnover on the in-bounds play, but Haws missed on a hotly contested jumper at the buzzer.
The Aztecs were led the first half by forward Vern Thompson's eight points, including two 3-pointers.
BYU scored the first five points of the second half, beginning with Santiago's driving basket and an ensuing free throw.
He finished with his best scoring output so far this season.
SDSU took over the lead on Shawn Jamison's free throw at 12:40 and appeared ready to win the game with 2:19 to go. Jamison tipped in an errant shot for a 60-57 lead, but then the Aztecs began to crumble. Michael Best, the Aztecs' best shooter, went in the tank, missing three shots in the final two minutes.
Toolson made a baseline shot and the Cougars began to move in. Durrant, who came off the bench to score 10 points and take in six rebounds, hit his free throws and then Best followed up with another miss at the 27-second mark. Haws rebounded and Santiago was fouled, making both.
"I've been waiting for a chance like that since the game at Arizona State. I was ready," said Santiago.
The win improved BYU to 10-3 on the year and 1-1 in the WAC, while SDSU droped to 9-6 and 1-1.
Reid said the close game was something he'll get used to.
"When we go on the road, I always believe it's going to go down the the last two minutes," he said.