Nov. 15, 2000
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San Diego State (0-0) at Montana (0-0)
DAY/DATE: Saturday, Nov. 18, 2000
PLACE: Adams Center (7,500), Missoula, Mont.
TIME: 7 p.m. MST/6 p.m. PST
WEBCAST: Saturday night's season opener at Montana can be heard live over the Internet at www.goaztecs.com. Dan Lawton will handle the play-by-play for all road contests with Bill Earley (p-b-p) and Tammy Blackburn (analysis) calling the home webcasts.
Silver Anniversary Season
* From here on, every games counts. After a month of practice and a pair of preseason exhibition games, the San Diego State women's basketball team opens its silver anniversary season Saturday, Nov. 18 when the Aztecs travel to defending Big Sky Conference champion Montana. The Aztecs will be out to make it two in a row over the Lady Griz after knocking off Montana, 51-49, a year ago in Cox Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. (MST) at UM's Adams Center (7,500).
The Series
* Saturday's game in Missoula will be the third all-time between the Aztecs and Lady Griz but the first-ever in the state of Montana for San Diego State. SDSU evened the series at one game apiece last year with a last-second 51-49 victory in Cox Arena. Montana captured the first-ever contest between the two schools, defeating the Aztecs, 57-46, in the opening round of the 1995 NCAA Tournament at San Diego State.
A Quick Look At The Aztecs
* San Diego State finished the 1999-00 season 9-19 overall, 4-10 Mountain West (T-6th).
* The Aztecs return just five letterwinners from last year's final eight-player roster, however four of the five started at least 24 games, including leading scorer and Mountain West Conference all-newcomer team selection Jamey Cox. SDSU's three other returning starters are: senior forward Anita Bundage, junior forward Atim Otii, and senior guard Shannon Lee.
* The Aztecs will also welcome back for the 2000-01 campaign a pair of players in senior Sophia Sledge and junior Claire Swinbank that missed all of last year after opening the 1999-00 exhibition schedule as starters. Sledge was SDSU's leading scorer during the 1998-99 campaign, while Swinbank was a '98-99 Western Athletic Conference all-newcomer team selection.
* Five newcomers (four eligible) have been added to the SDSU roster for 2000-01, including three junior college transfers, giving the Aztecs a total of 13 players heading into the season. That number is a far cry from last year's opening day roster, which totaled just eight.
For Openers
* The 2000-01 campaign marks the 25th year of San Diego State women's basketball. Since the inaugural 1976-77 season, the Aztecs have posted a 400-305 (.567) overall record, including a 14-10 mark in season openers.
* Saturday's game will be the 10th season-opening road contest for the Aztecs and the 18th time SDSU has debuted away from Montezuma Mesa. The Aztecs are 5-4 in road season openers and 4-4 in neutral site debuts for a combined 9-8 record when beginning a season away from home.
* For the second season in a row, San Diego State will be opening its season at a Big Sky Conference school. Last year, the Aztecs dropped a 72-68 decision at Idaho State in the opening round of the American Dream Classic.
* In 24 years of basketball, San Diego State has only opened at home seven times. The Aztecs are 5-2 in those games.
* The Aztecs are 1-2 in season openers under current head coach Barb Smith, including an 0-1 mark on the road.
About Montana
* The defending Big Sky regular season and conference tournament champions, Montana is coming off a 22-8 campaign and a berth in the 2000 NCAA Tournament.
* The Lady Griz return nine letterwinners, including a pair of starters from last year's squad. Senior Lauren Cooper, who was a 2000 first team all-Big Sky selection, is Montana's big gun. Cooper started all 30 games a year ago and averaged a team-leading 13.5 points.
* Montana is coached by Robin Selvig. The Lady Griz's only head coach, he is in his 23rd season at Montana and owns a 515-139 (.787) record. Under Selvig, Montana has advanced to the NCAA Tournament 14 times.
About The Game
* Don't expect a lot of scoring. Saturday's game pits a pair of teams that, at least on paper, should be pretty solid defensively. Both squads held opponents under 63 points per game a year ago and battled to a 51-49 finish in last season's meeting at Cox Arena. The key for the Aztecs will be their ability to break down Montana's zone defense, both off the dribble and from the perimeter. A year ago, SDSU struggled from the outside, hitting only 1-of-8 (12.5 percent) attempts from beyond the arc.
The Last Time We Met
* Shannon Lee hit a running one-hander in the paint with just eight seconds remaining as the San Diego State edged Montana, 51-49, on Dec. 21, 1999, in Cox Arena. The Aztecs and Lady Griz played thorough 12 lead changes and six ties during the second half. Trailing by three points with just over three minutes to play, Jamey Cox canned a three pointer to tie the game at 47-47. A pair of Mary Apiafi free throws put the Aztecs up by two, but a lay-up by Montana's Linda Weyler squared the game once again, setting the stage for Lee's last-second heroics. Apiafi led SDSU with 14 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, while Atim Otii added 10 points and junior Anita Bundage gathered nine boards.
SDSU Versus The Big Sky
* San Diego State is 17-5 (.773) all-time against Big Sky Conference opponents, including a 1-2 record last season. Like a year ago, the Aztecs are scheduled to face three Big Sky foes during the 2000-01 campaign. In addition to Saturday's game at Montana, the Aztecs will travel to Portland State on Nov. 28, before wrapping up their Big Sky slate against Northern Arizona in Cox Arena on Dec. 30.
Recapping The Exhibition Season
* San Diego State split its two preseason exhibitions, falling to Cassovia Bardejov, 67-53, before bouncing back with an 86-59 victory over the NWBL All-Stars on Sunday.
* The Aztecs led by as many as five points midway through the first half, but an experienced Cassovia Bardejov squad proved to be too much as SDSU was unable to rally down the stretch against the Slovakian club. Junior Claire Swinbank returned to the team after a year absence to led SDSU with 12 points. Junior Atim Otii pitched in with eight points and a game-high 13 rebounds and senior Anita Bundage added nine points and 11 boards off the bench. SDSU outrebounded Cassovia Bardejov, 53-28, however Cassovia's tough match-up zone and 33 Aztec turnovers more than offset the rebounding advantage.
* Sophomore Jamey Cox led all scorers with 25 points and also dished out game-high eight assists as the Aztecs cruised to a 27-point victory over the NWBL All-Stars. Freshman Nicolette McCartny pitched in with a double-double (13 points, 13 rebounds) and junior Tanisha Knight added 12 points and seven boards as the Aztecs led for all but the initial 21 seconds of the game.
Aztecs Go To The Glass
* San Diego State was strong on the boards in both of its exhibitions, outrebounding its preseason foes by 33 boards (16.5 per game). The Aztecs opened their exhibition slate with a 53-28 advantage on the glass versus Cassovia Bardejov. SDSU also dominated the boards against the NWBLAll-Stars, finishing the game with a 48-40 lead in total rebounds. SDSU's was at its best on the offensive end, outrebounding their two preseason opponents 47-26.
Turnovers Key
* Like last season, turnovers were key factors in San Diego State's two exhibition games. Despite their rebounding advantage in exhibition No. 1, the Aztecs committed 33 miscues to only 20 by Cassovia Bardejov. Conversely, SDSU dramaticly reduced its turnovers against the All-Stars, giving up only 18 while benefitting from 26 by the NWBL club in a 27-point victory. Last season, the Aztecs were just 4-14 when committing more turnovers than their opponent.
You Gotta Win The Close Ones
* The clich? "close but no cigar" never more aptly described a team than the 1990-00 Aztecs. Though San Diego State finished the season with an 9-19 mark, 4-10 MWC (T-6th), the Aztecs were just 5-10 in games decided by 10 points or less. Weather or not the Aztec have learned how to win the close ones may determine the level of success SDSU enjoys in 2000-01.
Road Rules
* The San Diego State women's basketball team may feel like cast members of MTV's Road Rules this season, especially early. In all, the Aztecs will play eight of their 13 non-conference games away from Cox Arena, including five of their first seven. Why? The SDSU coaching staff believes the only way to learn how to win on the road is to do it. Though San Diego State was a solid 7-7 at home last season,the Aztecs struggled to a 1-11 mark on the road. The hope this year is that early success on the road will carry over into conference play.
Aztecs Picked Seventh By Coaches, Media
* As if San Diego State needed any more motivation heading into the 2000-01 season, the Aztecs received word during at Mountain West Conference Basketball Media Day that they have been picked to finish seventh by both the league's coaches and media. Utah is the odds-on favorite to repeat as league champion in both polls.
Ouch, That's Gotta Hurt
* It may be early, but San Diego State has already suffered its share of injuries. After missing all of the 1999-00 campaign with a torn left ACL, Sophia Sledge received another setback in practice Nov. 8 when she suffered a broken right thumb. The injury is expected to sideline the senior guard until at least mid-December. Junior Missy Schomaker also missed SDSU's second exhibition after suffering a broken nose in practice Nov. 7. She is, however, expected to be in the lineup, Saturday night against Montana. Not to be left out, the Aztec coaching staff got into the act when assistant Dana McGraw broke a thumb in drills the same week.
Cox Comes Alive)
* After scoring just four points in the exhibition opener, sophomore Jamey Cox looked like her old self in the Aztecs' second exhibition, tallying a game-high 25 points on 8-for-13 shooting. Cox, who connected on three of her six three-point attempts, also dished out a game-best eight assists. Last season, the MWC all-newcomer team selection finished fifth in the league's scoring race (13.7 ppg), and scored in double figures in 21 of 27 games.
No Rust Here
* Though she wasn't quite in mid-season form, junior guard Claire Swinbank certainly didn't look like she had been away from competitive basketball for a year in SDSU's two preseason exhibitions. Swinbank, who had not played since last year's second exhibition, finished with a team-high 12 points on a red hot 6-for-9 shooting from the floor in game one. She came back to score nine points, all in the second half and added four assists in game two. In the two games, Swinbank averaged 10.5 points and was a combined 10-for-19 (.526) from the field.
Bundage Ready To Lead
* There's not doubt who the Aztecs inspirational leader is. It's clearly Anita Bundage. However, this difference this season is that thus far, Bundage has backed up her words on the court. In San Diego State's first exhibition, Bundage nearly posted a double-double, finishing with nine points and 11 rebounds. In game two, she was again in double digits on the boards, ending the game with 10 caroms, and chipping in with seven points. Bundage, who has average 142 rebounds per year during her career, enters the 2000-01 season 109 caroms shy of cracking SDSU's career rebound top 10.
Frosh Looks Fantastic
* Freshman Nicolette McCartny answered a lot of questions as to her readiness for Division I basketball during the preseason and appears to have earned a spot in the Aztecs' starting lineup. McCartny averaged 8.0 ppg and 9.3 rpg in SDSU's two exhibitions and, like she has in practice, appears to only be getting better. In the Aztecs' second exhibition, the Chicago native posted SDSU's only double-double of the preseason, finishing with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
Good Knight!
* If there is one area where San Diego State should be significantly improved this season it is on the offensive end. A big reason for that is the added scoring punch provided by junior college transfer Tanisha Knight. Knight, who played her JC ball at Central Arizona, was one of three Aztecs to finish in double figures in SDSU's 86-59 win over the NWBL All-Stars. Constantly taking the ball to the hole, Knight paraded to the stripe nine times, sinking eight of her attempts en route to 12 points on the afternoon.
Happy Homecoming
* Aztec sophomore Andrea Kiesling should have plenty of fans in the stands Saturday night at the Adams Center. A native of Helena, Kiesling was an all-state selection as a senior and led Helena HS to the 1997 Montana state championship as a junior.