Nov. 20, 2000
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San Diego State Aztecs (0-1) at Loyola Marymount Lions (0-0)
DAY/DATE: Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2000
PLACE: Gersten Pavilion (4,156), Los Angeles, Calif
TIME: 7 p.m. PST
WEBCAST: Tuesday night's game at Loyola Marymount 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.
Storyline
* Tuesday night's game at Loyola Marymount will be the second of eight non-conference road games for San Diego State and the season opener for LMU. The Aztecs are 4-1 all time versus the Lions and will be out to avenge a 62-51 loss to LMU in last year's meeting at Cox Arena. SDSU opened its 2000-01 campaign last Saturday with a 68-58 loss at Montana and will be out to avoid a 0-2 start for the third straight season. The Aztecs have started out 0-2 only six times in their previous 24 years of basketball. San Diego State has never opened 0-2 in three consecutive seasons.
A Quick Look At The Aztecs
* No one said it was going to be easy for the Aztecs. San Diego State, which plays eight of its first 13 on the road this season, opened its 2000-01 campaign last Saturday at Montana with a 68-58 loss to the Lady Griz.
* After outboarding its two exhibition opponents by an average of 16.5 rebounds per game, San Diego State struggled on the glass at Montana, losing the battle of the boards, 40-28. The Aztecs were especially hurt on the defensive end as the Lady Griz gathered 15 offensive rebounds in the game.
* An area where the Aztecs appear to be dramatically improved is turnovers. After averaging over 22 turnovers per game a year ago, SDSU was forced into only 16 miscues at Montana compared to 19 by the Lady Griz.
* Sophomore Jamey Cox, who finished her freshman campaign as the Mountain West Conference's No. 5 scorer (13.7 ppg), led the Aztecs with 13 points, including three treys, in the opener.
* Three San Diego State newcomers -- Tanisha Knight, Nicolette McCartny and Missy Schomaker -- all scored in double figures in the opener. All three are expected to be in the Aztecs' starting lineup Tuesday night at Loyola Marymount.
About Loyola Marymount
* Tuesday night's game will be the 2000-01 season opener for Loyola Marymount. The Lions return three starters from last year's 13-15 squad (6-8 West Coast Conference, 5th), but figure to be without first team all-WCC guard Rosa Bernasconi. The junior, who averaged 15.1 ppg a year ago and lit up the Aztecs for 22 points last season in Cox Arena, suffered a broken hand six weeks ago and is listed as doubtful.
* The Lions will, however, have the services of 1999-00's leading scorer, Bryn Britton. A first team all-WCC selection, Britton averaged 15.7 ppg last season as a sophomore, including a 20-point outing against San Diego State.
* Loyola Marymount head coach Julie Wilhoit is in her sixth season at the helm of the Lion women's basketball program. She has fashioned a 41-96 (.299) record while at LMU.
Series Shorts
* Tuesday's game at Gersten Pavilion will be the sixth all time between Loyola Marymount and San Diego State. The Aztecs, who lead the series 4-1, suffered their first loss to the Lions in the last meeting between the two squads on Dec. 19, 1999, falling 62-51 in Cox Arena.
* Prior to last year's meeting, the series had been all San Diego State. Not only had SDSU never lost to LMU, but the Aztecs had outscored the Lions by an average of nearly 20 points per game (64.0-45.0).
* San Diego State owns a 46-13 (.780) all-time record versus current West Coast Conference members. However, the Aztecs were 0-3 against the WCC last season. Thursday's game is the only guaranteed contest versus a WCC foe. The Aztecs could potentially face WCC member Gonzaga in the second round of this week's Pacific Bell Classic.
About The Game
* Though the Aztecs traditionally play man-to-man on the defensive end, look for both teams to open the game in zone defenses. San Diego State struggled against LMU's zone last season, scoring just 14 points in the first half. The Lions didn't fare much better, connecting on only 30 percent of their shots during the opening stanza.
* San Diego State can ill afford another slow start. The Aztecs were sluggish out of the blocks last Saturday at Montana and were never able to make up the difference.
* Another key to the game will be in the post, where SDSU is expecting to see plenty of 6-2 freshman center Adrianne Slaughter. The Aztecs will have to be better on the defensive glass than they were at Montana, and the key will be getting a body on Slaughter, a player SDSU recruited heavily last season.
The Last Time We Met
* Playing without Jamey Cox, Anita Bundage stepped up to score a career-high 18 points and Mary Apiafi pitched in with 13 rebounds, in a 62-51 loss to Loyola Marymount in Cox Arena on Dec. 19, 1999. The victory was the first ever for LMU over the Aztecs. SDSU trailed 23-14 at the break but used a 10-2 run midway through the second half to pull within a point at 41-40 with 9:47 to play. The Lions, however, answered with a 15-2 spurt of their own over the next five minutes to put the game out of reach. LMU's Bryn Britton led the charge with seven of her 20 points during the run. Lion guard Rosa Bernasconi finished with 22 points on 8-for-14 shooting to lead all scorers.
One Big Difference
* The major difference between this year's meeting and last season's contest can be summed up in two words ... Jamey Cox. A 26-game starter as a true freshman last season, Cox missed only one game with an injury during the 1999-00 campaign -- Loyola Marymount. Heading into the LMUgame, Cox was averaging 12.2 ppg and ranked second on the team in scoring. She was also San Diego State's main three point weapon. Without her, the Aztecs shot just 3-for-15 from beyond the arc versus the Lions and struggled to get into a rhythm versus LMU's 2-3 zone.
Recapping The Montana Game
* San Diego State had four players score in double figures, but its wasn't enough to overcome a tough Lady Griz team on its own floor, as Montana avenged its lost to the Aztecs from last season with a 68-58 victory over SDSU Saturday night in the season opener for both squads. Senior Lauren Cooper and Montana's front line gave the Aztecs fits all night as the Lady Griz never trailed. Cooper led all scorers with 17 points, including nine from behind the arc, while Montana's inside players dominated the boards, outrebounding SDSU 40-28. Sophomore Jamey Cox led San Diego State with 13 points, including 3-for-6 shooting from three-point range. Three Aztec newcomers, Nicolette McCartny, Tanisha Knight and Missy Schomaker, also scored in double digits. Montana rode a 14-3 run, including nine points by Cooper midway through the first half, to a 30-21 lead at intermission. The Aztecs pulled to within eight points on six different occasions over the final 12:43 but could not draw closer, as the Lady Griz, who pulled down 15 offensive boards continued to dominate the inside.
Montezuma's Revenge
* Tuesday night's game will be the second of six potential non-conference revenge games on the Aztecs' 2000-01 schedule. Montana exacted its retribution on the Aztecs in the season opener, avenging a loss at SDSU from last season. In addition to the Montana and LMU games, the four other potential revenge games are: at Missouri (12/2), CS Fullerton (12/18), Northern Arizona (12/30), and at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (1/7).
You Gotta Win The Close Ones
* The clich? "close but no cigar" never more aptly described a team than the 1990-00 Aztecs as San Diego State was just 5-10 in games decided by 10 points or less. SDSU hopes it isn't falling into the same trap in 2000-01 of playing close but coming up short in the end. Unfortunately for SDSU, the trend continued in this year's season opener as the Aztecs fell to Montana, 68-58.
Turnovers Tale
* After struggling in the turnover department much of last season, San Diego State did a good job of limiting its miscues in the season opener, turning the ball over just 16 times. Last season, SDSU averaged over 22 miscues per game and turned the ball over fewer than 16 times just once.
Stop, Thief
* San Diego State collected 16 steals against Montana, more than any game last season. Last years high for steals was 14 at home versus Colorado State. Four different Aztecs -- Nicolette McCartny, Jamey Cox, Missy Schomaker, and Tanisha Knight -- were credited with three steals apiece.
Slow Start, Fast Finish
* The Aztec came out on fire in the second half at Montana. SDSU shot a combined 54 percent (14-for-26) during the second period compared to just 25 percent (7-for-28) in the opening stanza.
Solid At The Stripe
* The Aztecs were also solid from the stripe, connecting on 11-of-15 attempts (73 percent). Last season, SDSU shot a combined 65 percent from the line, despite having the league's top free thrower, Jamey Cox (82 percent).
Back To Her Old Tricks
* Sophomore Jamey Cox picked up right where she left off as a true freshman, scoring a team-high 13 points, including 3-for-6 shooting from three-point distance, in the season opener at Montana. Cox has now scored in double figures in 22-of-28 career games. Last season, she finished fifth in the MWC scoring race with a 13.7 ppg average.
Notable Newcomers
* Three Aztec newcomers finished in double figures at Montana. Juniors Missy Schomaker and Tanisha Knight each scored 12 points while freshman Nicolette McCartny closed out her debut with 11. Knight also led SDSU on the boards with five rebounds.
Scho-Time
* Junior forward/guard Missy Schomaker made a splash at both ends of the floor in San Diego State's season opener at Montana. On offense, the Lincoln, Neb. native scored 12 points, nine in the second half, including a pair of treys that kept the Aztecs within striking distance of the Lady Griz. She also dished out three assists and was credited with a steal. However, Schomaker's biggest impact may have come on the defensive end. At halftime she was assigned to shut down Lady Griz scoring machine Lauren Cooper by head coach Barb Smith and held the senior to a pair of free throws during the second half (0-5 from the field). Cooper scored 15 points in the first half on 6-for-7 shooting, including 3-of-3 from beyond the arc.
Good Knight!
* Tanisha Knight has opened the season on fire from the line. After nailing 7-of-8 from the stripe in SDSU's final exhibition game, the junior college transfer was a perfect 8-for-8 in the season opener at Montana.
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 kept it rolling into the regular season. McCartny, who will start her second straight game at LMU, averaged 8.0 ppg and 9.3 rpg in SDSU's two exhibitions, including SDSU's only double-double of the preseason, finishing with 13 points and 13 rebounds versus the NWBL All-Stars. She then went out and scored 11 points and gathered three rebounds in her collegiate regular-season debut at Montana.
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 late December. Junior Missy Schomaker also missed SDSU's second exhibition after suffering a broken nose in practice Nov. 7. 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.
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.