March 9, 2007

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LAS VEGAS (AP) - Stuart Creason scored 19 points to lead Colorado State to an upset win Thursday over San Diego State 69-64 in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Conference tournament.

Jason Smith added 13 points and 13 rebounds for Colorado State (17-12), who will play UNLV on Friday. The two teams met last Saturday, when UNLV trounced the Rams, 65-47.

Brandon Heath led San Diego State (21-10) with 20 points. Jerome Habel and Mohamed Abukar each added 14 points for the Aztecs, who must now wait for an invitation to the NCAA tournament.

Colorado State led throughout the first half, building an early 10-point lead. The Aztecs used a 14-5 run to cut the advantage to 31-30 at halftime.

The Aztecs took their first lead at 35-34 with just over two minutes into the second half. They built a 47-40 lead, only to watch Colorado State go on a 9-2 run to tie it.

With just under two minutes left, Colorado State's Tyler Smith hit a 10-foot jumper to take a 64-62 lead and the Rams didn't trail again.

Colorado State shot 51 percent from the field, while the Aztecs shot 45 percent. Colorado State also outrebounded the Aztecs 36-25.