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SAN DIEGO — The San Diego State men’s basketball team is headed to the NCAA Championship, after beating Florida Atlantic in Saturday’s Final Four game.

Lamont Butler hit jump shot at the buzzer, giving SDSU the 72-71 victory over fellow mid-major Florida Atlantic.

The Aztecs (32-6) appeared to be in trouble as the free-flowing Owls (35-4) picked them apart while building a 14-point lead.

San Diego State got back in it, as it always does, with defense.

The Aztecs shut down FAU and pulled within one when Jaedon LeDee hit a short jumper with 36 seconds left. After FAU’s Johnell Davis missed a contested layup, the Aztecs didn’t call timeout and got the ball to Butler.

The clock ticking down, Butler dribbled to the baseline, found that cut off and circled back. He stepped back to create a little room and hit a jumper that sent the Aztecs racing out onto the floor — and into Monday’s championship game.

“The plan was just to get downhill,” Butler said. “They cut me off a little bit. I looked up, there was two seconds left, so I got to a shot that I’m comfortable with. And I hit it.”

San Diego State’s defense has played a key role in its run to the final. It clamped down on four straight opponents to open the NCAA Tournament.

The Aztecs had no answer for the swaggy Owls in the first half, allowing them to hit 5 of 11 from 3-point range to build a 40-33 halftime lead.

FAU stretched the lead to 14 midway through the second half.

Then the Aztecs got gritty.

Contesting nearly every shot and pass while pulling down a string of offensive rebounds, San Diego State rallied into a tie at 65. Matt Bradley led the offense in the second half and finished with 21 points after struggling with his shot in the previous three games.

Alijah Martin kept FAU in it, scoring 19 of his 26 points in the second half, seeming to have an answer for every Aztecs move.

He didn’t get a chance for a final one.

The Aztecs had a historic run in this year’s March Madness, reaching the semi-finals for the first time ever in team history.

After today’s victory, the team will have their first shot at the NCAA Championship title, facing off against the University of Connecticut.

FOX 5’s Danielle Dawson contributed to this report.