ESPN Men's Basketball

LAS VEGAS -- D.J. Gay sank two free throws with 23 seconds left and Travis Busch missed a desperation runner at the buzzer as San Diego State edged Colorado State 72-71 Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Conference tournament.

The fourth-seeded Aztecs (23-8) will face top-seeded and eighth-ranked New Mexico (29-3) in the semifinals Friday night. The Lobos a scare from Air Force 65-59.

Gay was fouled by Travis Franklin with 23 seconds left and sank both to put San Diego State on top 72-71. The Rams (16-15) called a timeout with 18 seconds remaining to set up their final play. However, Dorian Green threw the ball away under the basket with 6.7 seconds left.

After San Diego State guard Chase Tapley missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 5 seconds left, Franklin rebounded and got the ball to Busch, whose off-balance shot misfired as the buzzer sounded.