FAU vs. San Diego State final score, results: Lamont Butler buzzer-beater sends Aztecs to title game

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Nick Brinkerhoff
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Lamont Butler SDSU
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Sixty-five games have been played in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, but it wasn't until Saturday that a contest ended in a true buzzer-beater, and it came courtesy of San Diego State guard Lamont Butler. 

The junior guard's midrange shot from the right wing fell through the net as time expired, sending the Aztecs past Florida Atlantic 72-71 and into Monday's national championship title game against UConn or Miami. 

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Saturday's first Final Four game saw plenty of back-and-forth action, a real game of runs. The Owls were in control for most of it, especially during the first half. 

But the well ran dry in the second half. San Diego State's trademark defense held high-scoring FAU to 31 points in the final 20 minutes. 

MORE: Jim Nantz receives standing ovation during FAU-San Diego State Final Four telecast

Timeouts plagued the last few minutes of the game, grinding action to a halt, but Aztecs head coach Brian Dutcher chose not to call his final timeout on the game-winning sequence after his defense had forced an FAU miss. It helped create enough chaos for Butler to rise to the occasion. 

The clock finally struck midnight on the Cinderella run from FAU and Dusty May's Owls turned into the proverbial pumpkin. San Diego State gets one last dance in this this year's tournament — and a chance to bring home the hardware.

MORE: Watch the Final Four with Fubo (free trial)

The Sporting News tracked live scoring updates and highlights from the Final Four action on Saturday.

FAU vs. San Diego State score

  1 2 F
FAU 40 31 71
San Diego State 33 39 72

FAU vs. San Diego State live updates, highlights from 2023 March Madness

(All times Eastern)

8:45 p.m. -- "I ran out of plays, so I decided not to take a timeout," Aztecs head coach Brian Dutcher tells CBS' Tracy Wolfson. I'd say it worked out pretty well for you, coach. 

8:40 p.m. -- Heartbreak for Florida Atlantic. The Owls' 14-point lead agonizingly slipped away down the stretch despite their best efforts. But what a run for this team. This one will sting, but they can be very proud of what they accomplished over the last few weeks.    

8:33 p.m. -- How about that finish? Johnell Davis missed a lay-in attempt with ten seconds left, and Butler went straight back the other way. It looked for a moment like he ran into a cul-de-sac, but he managed to get a shot up in the nick of time. Nothing but net. In the words of Bill Raftery, those were some serious onions. 

8:30 p.m. -- SAN DIEGO STATE WINS IT AT THE BUZZER! Lamont Butler! Unbelievable! The Aztecs are heading to the national championship!

8:27 p.m. -- The Aztecs choose not to foul, and the Owls use a timeout with 18 seconds left. Then they use another one, meaning they are out of timeouts for the rest of regulation. This has been a very slow-moving final minute.  

8:23 p.m. -- Wow, what a finish by Alijah Martin! The sophomore goes up and under, banking it in off the glass to stretch FAU's lead back to three points! But LeDee provides an Aztec answer with a jumper at the other end. FAU leads 71-70 with 37 seconds left. We'll see if SDSU decides to play the foul game here. 

8:20 p.m. -- LeDee banks in a tough bucket to cut the margin back to one point. With 58 seconds remaining, the Owls take a timeout. They will have the ball when play resumes as they try to protect their 69-68 lead. 

8:17 p.m. -- Trammell can only make one of two from the line, cutting the Owls' lead to a single point. But with 1:20 on the clock, Johnell Davis gets fouled and sinks both of his free throws to make it 69-66 FAU.

8:13 p.m. -- Nick Boyd misses a layup on one end then gets whistled for a foul on the other. The mistakes are piling up for FAU. But the Aztecs' free throw struggles continue, and Micah Parrish misses both to let the Owls off the hook. If SDSU was making its free throws, it would have the lead right now. However, Trammell got fouled on a drive so he'll head to the line for a pair. 

8:08 p.m. -- SDSU briefly ties it up, but Giancarlo Rosado answers with a bucket at the other end to put the Owls back in front. They lead it 67-65 with 3:14 left on the clock. Buckle up. 

8:02 p.m. -- Both teams are doing a good job of getting to the free throw line as we enter crunch time, but they're having a hard time knocking their shots down. Only two of the last eight free throw attempts for both teams have gone down. With less than five minutes remaining, the Owls are clinging to a three-point lead. 

7:51 p.m. -- Here come the Aztecs! A 16-4 SDSU run closed the gap to just two points, but Alijah Martin just knocked down a triple to make it 65-60 FAU with 7:15 remaining. This is setting up to be a fantastic finish.  

7:45 p.m. -- FAU's lead briefly ballooned to 14 points after Alijah Martin made seven straight free throws, but SDSU has clawed it back to just seven points. Micah Parrish just buried an important three for the Aztecs to make it 58-51 at the under 12 timeout. 

7:26 p.m. -- "Second verse, same as the first," has been the mantra to start this second half as the Owls have a nine point lead at the first media timeout. It's been ball movement, spacing, hustle and long range shooting for FAU. 

7:21 p.m. -- Darrion Trammell is finally on the board for SDSU -- knocking down a three to open the second half scoring for the Aztecs. FAU is letting SDSU hang around though at the moment, giving up that three after a good hustle play kept the possession alive on the other end. 

7:16 p.m. -- The second half is about to get started in the Space City. Let's take another look at the fun space-themed court design at NRG Stadium before the action resumes. 

7:11 p.m. -- Let's check in on those wagers before the second half starts. If you placed a bet on Florida Atlantic +2.5 or the Owls moneyline at +125 -- you're probably feeling pretty good at the moment. BetMGM's live odds have FAU at -3.5 point favorites and -190 on the moneyline. The live total is 13 points over where it was pregame -- at 143.5.

7:04 p.m. -- A happy Dusty May told CBS' Tracy Wolfson what the message will be inside the locker room at halftime. 

Halftime: FAU 40, SDSU 33

6:57 p.m. -- It's halftime in Houston and FAU has a 40-33 lead. The Owls had contributions from all nine players that saw time on the court in the first 20 minutes -- each of them getting in on the scoring. The 40 points allowed by SDSU is the most points they given up in the first half so far in the tournament. The Aztecs are struggling with FAU's ball movement and spacing so far. 

6:55 p.m. -- Nice moment coming out of the timeout for Jim Nantz, who received a standing ovation in Houston. 

6:51 p.m. -- It's a 10 point edge for the Owls now -- who are on a 12-2 run over the last five and a half minutes. Nine different players have scored for FAU. 

6:45 p.m. -- Timeout, Aztecs. They are down eight with 3:30 to go in the first half and are struggling to contain the Owls offensively. The balanced scoring approach from Dusty May's team is neutralizing the SDSU defense. 

6:40 p.m. -- There is a fun pace offensively to this one, but can the Aztecs keep up if this turns into a high scoring affair?

6:38 p.m. -- It's a three point shooting contest in Houston at the moment. FAU is 5-for-10 from downtown and SDSU is 4-for-5. This game is on pace to be a much higher scoring game than the Aztecs are used to. Boyd's performance so far is something SDSU hasn't even seen yet in this tournament. 

6:32 p.m. -- FAU has done a nice job responding here in the first half after taking a big first swing from SDSU. They were approaching danger time quickly, being down almost double digits and have since taken the lead. 

6:28 p.m. -- Nick Boyd is currently taking over, knocking down his third three of the first half already. 

6:24 p.m. -- We have reached the second media timeout and both teams have been trading baskets so far. The two sides are really trying to show why people say that basketball is a game of runs. 

6:22 p.m. -- A 14-0 run for San Diego State ends with FAU finally knocking down a shot for the first time in almost five minutes. The Owls responded with a 10-2 run themselves with under 13 minutes left in the first half. 16-15 is the Aztecs advantage. 

6:16 p.m. -- We've reached the first media timeout with SDSU in the midst of an 8-0 run. Nathan Mensah will try to complete the old fashioned three point play when we return. 

6:14 p.m. -- A quick 5-0 burst to open up for FAU is quickly extinguished by the hot shooting of Matt Bradley from the outside, giving SDSU an early 6-5 advantage. 

6:09 p.m. -- And we are off and running from Houston. The Owls are wearing their red jerseys with blue trim and white numbers, while the Aztecs counter with their white jerseys with black trim and red numbers. 

6:07 p.m. -- Tip off of FAU vs. San Diego State is only moments away now. Jim Nantz, Bill Raftery, Grant Hill and Tracy Wolfson are on the call for CBS.

6:03 p.m. -- Starting lineups are out and there are no surprises for either side. 

6:02 p.m. -- Check out the national anthem before FAU vs. SDSU tips off, sung by students from each of the Final Four schools.

5:56 p.m. -- San Diego State is currently 2.5 point favorites on BetMGM for this Final Four contest. If you are looking to place a wager, the total is currently set at 130.5 and Florida Atlantic is +125 on the moneyline -- meaning a $100 wager would take home another $125 if the Owls win. 

5:53 p.m. -- Take a look at the montage CBS put together for Jim Nantz -- since his last Final Four will be this one. 

5:49 p.m. -- There are just about 20 minutes away and there are more hype videos on social media to watch before game time. 

5:30 p.m. -- Only four teams remain and one of them will be hoisting a trophy on Monday night. The official Final Four Twitter has gotten in on the action. This video might make you want to run through a wall. Enjoy!

5:15 p.m. -- We are less than one hour away from tip off in Houston. Check out these tweets from each team to help you get ready for tonight's game. 

What channel is FAU vs. San Diego State on today?

  • TV Channel: CBS
  • Live stream: March Madness Live, Paramount+, Fubo

Fans who are looking to watch FAU battle San Diego State for a spot in the Final Four can tune in to CBS or stream the game on March Madness Live. Streamers can also find all the action through Paramount+ and Fubo, which offers a free trial. 

FAU vs. San Diego State start time

  • Date: Sunday, March 26
  • Time: 6:09 p.m. ET

The Final Four action between FAU and San Diego State is scheduled to tip off at 6:09 p.m. ET from NRG Stadium in Houston -- the home of the NFL's Houston Texans. 

March Madness 2023 schedule

Final Four

Saturday, April 1

Game Time (ET) TV
(9) Florida Atlantic vs. (5) San Diego State 6:09 p.m. CBS
(4) UConn vs. (5) Miami 8:49 p.m. CBS

National championship

Monday, April 3

Game Time (ET) TV
TBD vs. TBD 9 p.m. CBS
Author(s)
Nick Brinkerhoff Photo
Nick Brinkerhoff

Nick Brinkerhoff is an editorial intern at The Sporting News.