STORYLINES

In Short: Utah surrenders an eight-point lead with four minutes remaining and loses in overtime

Key Moment: A missed Utah layup with less than four minutes remaining triggers a four-point swing for SDSU

Key Stat: SDSU outscores the Utes 12-2 in overtime

LAS VEGAS -- A second-straight Mountain West Conference women's basketball tournament title was right there for the taking for the fourth-seeded Utah Utes on Saturday afternoon at the Thomas & Mack Center.

A six-point lead was about to be stretched to eight with less than four minutes remaining, but freshman Iwalani Rodrigues' layup rolled out after she broke free and caught a perfect long pass. San Diego State capitalized on the miscue by quickly scoring at the other end.

Momentum having switched direction, the Aztecs then dominated the final three minutes to force overtime, and cruised in the extra session to take a 70-60 win over the Utes in the championship game.

The Aztecs outscored the Utes 12-2 in overtime after regulation ended in a 58-58 tie.

It was SDSU's first MWC title in three-straight championship game tries, and third in program history. The Aztecs (21-10), who beat second-seeded BYU on Friday to advance to the final, secured the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament with the win.

For the Utes (22-11), who will probably receive an invitation to the WNIT, it was a case of letting the big one get away. However, few gave the rebuilding team much of a chance to win the league crown when the season started.

And it started slipping from their grasp just when it appeared that they were on their way to their fourth tournament title in 10 years.

"Yeah, that was the buster," said coach Elaine Elliott, referring to the missed layup. "Put the word in front of that [if] you want. Yeah, that was it, no doubt about it. Because not only did we miss that, then I think they got the long pass [and layup by tournament MVP Quenese Davis]...that obviously set the tone the rest of the way."

The Utes scored just two points the rest of regulation after the blown layup, and Coco Davis' jumper with 1:04 remaining tied the game at 58-58 and sent it into overtime.

In overtime, the Utes committed turnovers on their first three possessions and never had the lead. SDSU led 64-58 before the Utes got off a shot.

"It's a tight game, it's a huge game, and obviously turning the ball over kills you," Elliott said. "There's nothing more to say than that."

The Utes finished with 20 turnovers and shot just 39.3 percent from the field, while the Aztecs shot 54.5 percent to overcome a 32-25 rebounding disparity.

Utah's Kalee Whipple and Taryn Wicijowski made the all-tournament team, but Whipple struggled offensively. She went 5-for-22 from the field and scored just three of her 15 points in the second half while playing all 45 minutes.

Wicijowski had 19 points and seven rebounds to carry the Utes. Rodrigues finished with nine.

"They're a great defensive team," Whipple said. "Jene [Morris] guarded me most of the game. She did a great job. I had shots. Some fall, some don't."

Quenese Davis and Morris made the all-tournament team for the Aztecs, and combined for 43 points.