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SDSU’s secret? Gay rarely leaves the floor, rarely makes mistakes

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San Diego State point guard D.J. Gay played 40 minutes and committed two turnovers in Wednesday night’s 68-62 win over New Mexico.

For most guards, that’s a stellar night. For Gay, it’s awful.

He’d gone more than 174 minutes without a turnover, a streak spanning parts of six games. He’s what you call a ball-handling master. SDSU coach Steve Fisher calls him indispensible.

“D.J. has made me look good,” Fisher told the North County Times. “I said (early in the season) that he was our most important player, and he’s been that and then some every stretch of the way. He’s so reliable. He never gets ruffled under the stress of the moment and has a comfort level now that, when he has that ball, we know he’s going to make a decision that’s good for us.”

Gay averages 12.3 points, 3.4 assists and 1.1 turnovers, while logging 34.8 minutes a game. His Arate and %Min both rate among the nation’s best. Yeah. He’s also what you’d call a workhorse.

That’s one reason why you’ll rarely see Gay take a breather on the Aztecs’ bench. He rarely gets tired and rarely makes mistakes. And, lest you think him some kind of machine, he’s not. He’s simply got it all figured out.

“Technically, it’s not 40 straight minutes,” Gay said. “Every four minutes there’s a TV timeout. Every free throw, every timeout that’s called is a chance to take a breath. Just being able to catch my second and third wind in a matter of a minute or two of sitting down during a timeout is really what helped sustain my intensity.”

With Gay running the show and guys like Kawhi Leonard, Malcolm Thomas and Billy White up front, it’s no wonder SDSU sport’s the nation’s best record (26-1) and could be in line for a 1 seed when the NCAA tournament rolls around.

No mistakes? Sounds like a good way to win games.

Want more? I’m also on Twitter @MikeMillerNBC.