No. 4 San Diego State Suffers First Loss Against UNLV

The No. 4 San Diego State Aztecs suffered their first loss of the season in a 66-63 defeat to the UNLV Rebels at home on Saturday.

The Aztecs entered the contest as the NCAA Division I's final undefeated team. The Rebels (15-14) halted San Diego State's 26-0 start, the fifth-longest season-opening win streak by an unranked team in the preseason poll.

The loss also means Indiana's 32-0 unbeaten season in 1976 remains the standard for perfection.

After holding a 12-point lead at halftime, UNLV maintained its edge throughout the second half and grew its advantage to as large as 14. Elijah Mitrou-Long led the Rebels with 19 points off the bench.

The Aztecs cut the deficit to as little as one on a three-pointer with under 15 seconds remaining, but UNLV answered with free throws. San Diego State's final three-point attempt from near half-court clanked off the backboard, giving the Rebels the win.

The Aztecs struggled from the three-point line, shooting 8-for-27 and 38.9% from the field overall. The team entered the game with 38.6% efficiency on three-point field goals, good for ninth in the country.

SDSU leading-scoring Malachi Flynn registered a team-high 24 points in the contest, but struggled from distance, going 4-for-13. The Rebels' bench also out-scored the Aztecs' 26-4. 

San Diego State entered Saturday night with four Quadrant 1 victories. The loss against UNLV goes down as a Quadrant 3 loss on the team's résumé.