Julian Rishwain, UNLV take down San Diego State: 3 takeaways

San Diego State suffered a let down on Tuesday night, dropping their final road game of the season to UNLV, 74-67. It marked the first time since the 2012-13 campaign that UNLV has taken both regular season matchups from the Aztecs.

The Aztecs led 34-32 at halftime but were unable to contain the hot shooting Runnin’ Rebels, failing to complete a late comeback. San Diego State led 50-48 with 11:29 to play in the second half before UNLV outscored the Aztecs by nine points the rest of the way.

San Diego State will now return home to host Nevada on Saturday in their regular season finale before heading back to Las Vegas next week for the Mountain West Conference tournament.

Here are three takeaways from San Diego State's loss to UNLV:

SHOOTING PROVES TO BE THE DIFFERENCE

Sixth-year senior Julian Rishwain, who previously played at Boston College, San Francisco and Florida, torched the Aztecs on Tuesday. He finished with a career high 26 points, making nine of 13 shots including six of nine from three-point range. Known as a big-time shooting prospect coming out of Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California, Rishwain had never made more than five three-pointers in a game across 144 previous collegiate games.

UNLV shot 12-24 from deep as a team with Jaden Henley making four of his six shots from deep, finishing with 17 points. Senior guard Jailen Bedford, who’s spending his final season at UNLV after playing at Oral Roberts, had 10 points and eight rebounds while knocking down two three-pointers.

San Diego State struggled from the perimeter throughout the night, finishing 7-29 from three-point range. The Aztecs won the turnover battle by three, were outrebounded by three and shot an identical 12-20 from the free-throw line as the Runnin’ Rebels.

MILES BYRD CONTINUES UPDWARD TRAJECTORY

Miles Byrd broke out early for San Diego State this season, scoring in double figures 12 times in 15 games while showcasing his ability to block shots, steal the ball and dish out assists. He appeared to hit a rough patch in mid-January that lasted for nine games.

Byrd scored 15 points on Tuesday night, his third straight game in double figures as he works to regain his earlier form. He hasn’t hit more than two three-pointers in a game since late January’s win over San Jose State. Despite shooting 9-51 from the perimeter in that stretch, Byrd has the other parts of his game clicking. In the absence of Magoon Gwath, Byrd led the Aztecs with 10 rebounds on Tuesday, finishing with a team-high six assists. He also blocked three shots and grabbed four steals, both to lead the Aztecs.

TOURNAMENT STATUS BACK IN LIMBO

San Diego State entered Tuesday morning solidly in the NCAA tournament field according to many bracketologists. The loss to UNLV suddenly slides the Aztecs closer to the bubble as the regular season ends.

San Diego State will host Nevada on senior night Saturday in a game that is now imperative to win for an at-large berth in what would be their fifth consecutive NCAA tournament appearance. They’ll open the Mountain West Conference tournament in the quarterfinal round on Thursday, March 13, likely against Boise State or Utah State. A loss that early in the tournament would leave the Aztecs very nervous come Selection Sunday.

MORE SAN DIEGO STATE NEWS & ANALYSIS

NCAA Tournament projections: San Diego State continues to rise

KenPom Rankings update: San Diego State closes in on top spot in Mountain West

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Continue to follow our San Diego State coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook.