San Diego State Vs. UConn: Kemba Walker, Jeremy Lamb Lead Huskies To Elite Eight Berth

The biggest plays of the game for UConn down the stretch of its Sweet 16 game against San Diego State were not made by Kemba Walker. They were by Jeremy Lamb. The freshman hit a three-pointer and got a key steal to preserve a 74-67 win in Anaheim and allow UConn to move on to the Elite 8.

After Walker missed a layup with 1:39 to go in the game and the Huskies up 65-64, Connecticut got the rebound and kicked the ball out to Lamb beyond the three-point line. Lamb calmly knocked the shot down for his 20th point of the night, giving UConn a 68-64 lead. After two non-scores, Lamb made a phenomenal defensive play, leaping to steal a lob pass out of mid-air by D.J. Gay and eventually getting an uncontested dunk on the other end. Those plays sealed a win for the Huskies.

San Diego State has rallied very quickly, cutting an eight-point UConn lead down to one in just over a minute and a half in this Sweet 16 matchup.

D.J. Gay came running off a screen and fired a three-pointer. He nailed it, and was tapped on the head by Shabazz Napear. Gay missed the free throw, but Billy White grabbed the rebound and fed Malcolm Thomas, who was fouled. He hit one of two to cut the lead to 65-61 with 3:38 remaining.

Clerly, San Diego State’s Jamaal Franklin should not have lowered his shoulder into UConn’s Kemba Walker while the two teams were heading to their respective benches for a timeout earlier in the second half. Since the technical foul, Walker has put UConn on his back, scoring 14 points since to turn a four-point deficit into a 65-57 lead with under four minutes remaining in this Sweet 16 matchup.

Let’s try to recap this as best as possible. Walker put UConn up 55-54 on a gorgeous drive, jumping into the defender and still finishing. On the ensuing possession, Kahwi Leonard got called for his fourth foul, and Walker followed it up with an up and under jumper on a seemingly impossible shot to put UConn up three. He then hit a three-pointer from the top of the key to put UConn up 60-54, two more free throws and another three after that off a pass at the top of the key.

San Diego State was poised to take control of its Sweet 16 game against UConn, but committed a boneheaded play that helped stall the rally. Jamaal Franklin lowered his shoulder as Kemba Walker walked by to go to his huddle during a timeout, and the referee saw it and whistled Franklin for an unsportsmanlike technical foul.

The play stopped some of the buzz, and now the Aztecs lead only 54-53. Shabazz Napear found Jeremy Lamb for a layup to cut the lead down. Lamb continues to star, with 17 points to complement Kemba Walker.

San Diego State has now completed its rally. The Aztecs now are tied with UConn at 45 with 11:56 remaining in their Sweet 16 game after going on a 16-6 run to begin the second half.

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San Diego State has come out strong in the beginning stages of the second half of its Sweet 16 game against UConn. Malcolm Thomas scored six early points and the Aztecs have shaved a nine-point lead down to four points, 42-38.

On the last play, Kahwi Leonard drove, dished to Thomas, who dribbled in and fought off three defenders to score a layup and draw the foul. Earlier, Thomas got the ball in the post and did a great fake for a right-handed hook shot on the baseline. Prior to that, D.J. Gay stole an outlet pass and fed Thomas for a fast-break layup to cut the lead to 40-34.

The UConn Huskies started slowly against San Diego State in their Sweet 16 matchup, but eventually got it going and took control of the game. The Huskies ended the half on a 19-5 run and lead 36-27 at halftme.

Kemba Walker has come alive after a slow start, with 14 first-half points. He is 5-12 from the field, which is due to San Diego State’s stingy halfcourt defense. But Walker has gotten shots in transition and has managed to get to the free-throw line. Jeremy Lamb has also been outstanding, with 10 points on just three shots. Overall, UConn is 5-10 from beyond the three-point line, which has been the key.

San Diego State looked like it was ready to break open its Sweet 16 game against UConn, but a costly turnover on a fast break killed that momentum. UConn has responded with a 17-5 run, and the Huskies now lead 34-27 we close in on four minutes remaining in the first half.

Kemba Walker came alive, culminating a surge with a transition layup as San Diego State started turning the ball over. Alex Oriakhi then hit a putback to turn it into a 34-27 lead, which was emphatically reinforced with a Roscoe Smith blocked shot.

San Diego State has taken a gamble with 7:49 to go in the first half against UCONN in a Sweet 16 matchup. Coach Steve Fisher decided to put Kahwi Leonard back into the game with two fouls, taking a risk that Leonard could continue his strong early play.

He has, thus far. Leonard drew a foul on Jeremy Lamb in the post, then got free for a slam dunk on the next play. The Aztects would be leading, but Lamb responded with a fallaway three with the shot clock running down to tie the score at 17. Lamb has eight points, while Kemba Walker has come alive by hitting his last two field goals -- a layup off a slice cut and a stepback jumper in the corner.

Kemba Walker is having his issues, and unsurprisingly, UCONN is too in its Sweet 16 game against San Diego State. Walker has just two points on 0-4 shooting thus far, but the Huskies are still hanging around, trailing San Diego State, 13-10, after just over eight minutes of play.

Walker has missed two free throws to go along with all of his missed shots. San Diego State’s length continues to bother him and hamper his ability to finish around the rim.

San Diego State is off to a nice start in its Sweet 16 March Madness game against Connecticut, leading 8-6 after four minutes of play. But they suffered a key loss early when Kawhi Leonard picked up his second foul on a technical foul, taking him out of the game. Coach Steve Fisher mouthed “Come On” to him as he sat down.

It’s unfortunate because Leonard scored the Aztecs first six points on two strong moves to the rim and a jumper, exactly what he should be doing. But now, the Aztecs must survive without him.