Feb. 5, 2001
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Game 21
San Diego State Aztecs (11-9, 3-4 MWC)
at No. 18 Utah Utes (18-2, 7-0 MWC)
DAY/DATE: Thursday, Feb. 4, 2001
PLACE: Jon M. Huntsman Center (15,000), Salt Lake City, Utah
TIME: 7 p.m. MST/6 p.m. PST
SERIES: Utes lead, 12-10
WEBCAST: Thursday's game at Utah can be heard live over the Internet at www. goaztecs.com. Dan Lawton handles the play-by-play for all road contests with Bill Earley (p-b-p) and Tammy Blackburn (analysis) calling the home webcasts.
San Diego State Storyline
San Diego State (11-9, 3-4 MWC) opens the second half of Mountain West Conference play this week when the Aztecs travel to the beehive state for games at league-leading and 18th-ranked Utah (18-2, 7-0 MWC) and Brigham Young (12-8, 4-3 MWC). SDSU will be out to snap a five-game losing streak versus the Utes, who defeated the Aztecs, 56-47, in the first meeting in San Diego on Jan. 13. San Diego State edged BYU, 63-61, earlier this season and will be looking for its first victory in Provo since 1995.
A Quick Look At The Aztecs
San Diego State narrowly missed its first home sweep of conference travel partners since 1999 last week, defeating Wyoming, 58-50, before dropping a heart-breaker to Colorado State, 55-54. Still, the Aztecs have won eight of their last 12 games and are in the midst of a solid turnaround in 2000-01, having posted a six-game improvement during the pre-conference season and three league wins in seven games. Last year, SDSU did not win its third conference game until league game No. 10.
Improvement You Can See
If there is one word to characterize San Diego State's 2000-01 season it would be improved. Through 20 games, the Aztecs have already reached a number of milestones of the Barb Smith era. Below are just a couple of those milestones.
* Most victories in a single season (11)
* Most non-home wins in a single season (5)
* Most non-conference wins in a single season (8)
* Longest winning streak (6)
* Longest home winning streak (4)
About Utah
Utah (18-2, 7-0 MWC) was clearly the dominant team during the first half of Mountain West Conference play, finishing as the league's only undefeated squad and ensconcing itself in the top 25 of both major national polls. In fact, the Utes enter the week with an RPI rating of No. 11 by collegerpi.com after winning their seven MWC games by an average of 14.1 points. The country's toughest defensive team, Utah is yielding a nation-leading 50.2 ppg and defeated Air Force, 59-29, in its only game last week. Junior center Lauren Beckman, who led the Ute's come-from-behind win in San Diego with 19 points and 14 rebounds, has truly taken her game to another level since that start of MWC action and leads Utah in both point (12.0 ppg) and rebounds (7.8 ppg). Those figures rise to 16.7 ppg and 9.4 rpg in league games.
Keys To The Game
San Diego State will have to open Thursday's game the way it did in the first meeting between the two teams, when it jumped out to an 18-7 lead during the first 15 minutes of play. If the Aztecs' start slow like they did versus both Wyoming and Colorado State last week, Utah's defense will make any significant comeback extremely unlikely. Last year in Salt Lake City, the Aztecs managed just 10 first-half points and were never able to climb back into the game, falling 63-38.
Our Best 30 Minutes Of Basketball This Season
"We played great basketball for 30 minutes, maybe the best basketball we've played all season." Those were head coach Barb Smith's sentiments following the first meeting between San Diego State and Utah, a game that saw the Aztecs lead for all but the final eight minutes. SDSU led by as many as 11 in the first half, holding Utah to just 7-of-24 from the field en route to a 22-20 halftime advantage. San Diego State pushed its lead back to as many as six in the second half before Utah strung together a 19-3 run take control of the game.
Revenge Card Back In Aztecs' Hands
The team with revenge on its mind has fared well in San Diego State's first seven games this season. Three times since conference play began, the Aztecs have been able to get revenge on an opponent, snapping a six-game losing streak versus BYU, paying back Air Force for last year's loss in Colorado Springs, and last week ending a two-game slide versus Wyoming. Colorado State stopped a four-game losing streak against SDSU on Saturday, but Thursday in Salt Lake City it will be the Aztecs who will once again own the motivational edge of revenge, having lost five in a row to the Utes and three straight in the Huntsman Center.
Series Shorts
Utah, one of only two teams in the Mountain West Conference to hold a series advantage over the Aztecs, has won 12 of the previous 22 meetings between the two schools, including five straight. San Diego State is just 2-7 all time in the Huntsman Center and has lost three consecutive games to the Utes in Salt Lake City. The Aztecs' last win at Utah occurred during the 1994-95 campaign.
Last Meeting with the Utes
Utah put a stop to San Diego State's six-game winning streak, handing the Aztecs a 56-47 loss at Cox Arena on Jan. 13. The Aztecs led for all but the final eight minutes of the game but down the stretch could not find an answer for Ute center Lauren Beckman, who led Utah with a game-high 19 points and 14 rebounds. Sophomore Jamey Cox and junior Claire Swinbank each finished with 10 points to lead SDSU. The Aztecs led 22-20 at the break, limiting the Utes to just 7-for-24 shooting in the first half. In fact, Utah was in danger of being held to single digits after hitting just two field goals in the opening 10 minutes of the game as the Aztecs used a 9-0 run to take an 18-7 lead at the 5:14 mark. The Utes, however, closed the period by scoring 11 of the half's final 13 points to pull with two at the break. San Diego State pushed its lead back to as many as six in the second half before Utah finally took control of the game, stringing together a 19-3 run take a 47-37 lead with 3:33 to play. The Aztecs pulled within five on a Cox jumper with a minute to play but never got closer.
Last Meeting At The Huntsman Center
San Diego State struggled offensively all night long as Utah handed the Aztecs a 63-38 loss last season in Salt Lake City. SDSU, which managed only 10 points in the first half, shot just 16-for-63 from the field as no Aztec was able to finish in double figures. Utah's Lindsay Sodja and Lauren Beckman paced the Utes with 15 and 12 points, respectively. Utah ran out to a 13-0 lead in the game's first eight minute before SDSU finally got on the board with 11:45 left in the half. The Utes, however, scored 14 of the game's next 15 points to take a 24-point lead. The Aztecs finally began finding the goal towards the end of the half but still trailed 31-10 at the break. Things didn't get much better for SDSU following intermission. After slicing the Ute advantage to 18 points at the 13:36 mark, Utah went on a 12-2 run over the next 5:34 to take a 52-23 lead with 8:02 to play. Utah then took its largest lead of the game -- 30 points -- just 1:30 later when Erin Gibbons canned back-to-back treys. The Aztecs never again pulled closer than 23 points.
Noting SDSU's Game vs. Colorado State
* San Diego State lost for the first time in five meetings with Colorado State, falling to the Rams, 55-54, last Saturday as Angie Gorton hit the first of two free throws with 2.2 seconds to play to provide the margin of victory.
* The loss was SDSU's first versus Colorado State since the Aztecs suffered a 64-58 loss to the Rams at the 1996 Western Athletic Conference Tournament.
* The Aztecs nearly pulled off their biggest comeback of the season, trailing by 15 points midway through the first half and by as many as 13 in the second before going on a 15-2 run to tie the game at 42 with just under six minutes to play.
* Juniors Missy Schomaker and Atim Otii led the Aztecs with 12 points each. It is the first time Schomaker has finished in double figures since scoring 11 vs. Cal Poly back on Jan. 2. Otii's 12 points were her first double-digit scoring effort since she tallied 18 in the conference opener versus BYU.
* Making her first start since the San Jose State game on Dec. 6, Schomaker also pulled down six rebounds and dished out a career-best four assists.
More From SDSU's One-Point Loss To Colorado State
Put this one in the go-figure category. Against Colorado State, the Aztecs had: more field goals (23 to 20), were even from three-point distance (3 to 3), finished with more rebounds (38 to 37), including a 16-to-9 edge on the offensive glass, had fewer personal fouls (14 to 19) and turnovers (14 to 18), and more assists (15 to 9). The difference in the game? Free-throw shooting. CSU connected on 12-of-14, while SDSU was just 5-of-12.
Win Total Aztecs' Best Under Smith
With 11 wins so far this season, San Diego State has already exceeded its win total for all of 1999-00 when the Aztecs finished the year 9-19 (4-10 MWC). At 11-9 (3-4 MWC) San Diego State has also topped its highest single-season win total of the Barb Smith era. SDSU finished Smith's inaugural season 1997-98 season at 10-15.
In Case You Hadn't Heard
San Diego State's 8-5 non-conference record is a dramatic improvement from a year ago when the Aztecs were just 5-8 in their first 13 games. The Aztecs' victory at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi completed a six-game turnaround over last year's non-conference finish, despite playing eight games on the road. Last year, SDSU played 8-of-13 at home.
Road Warrior Tradition Returning To Montezuma Mesa
San Diego State won its fifth game away from campus Air Force. The victory moved SDSU to 5-4 on the road this year, including a 60-47 win over Alcorn State at the Unilever Lady Tiger Classic, before SDSU's loss at New Mexico evened the Aztecs' road record at 5-5.
* In 10 road games, the Aztecs have already posted more wins away from Cox Arena this season (five) than they did in each of the last two years combined. It is also the first time San Diego State has won four pre-conference games away from campus since the 1995-96 season when the Aztecs went 4-2.
* San Diego State has not won five or more games away from campus since winning 12 during the 1996-97 season.
Home Cookin' Not So Bad Though
In addition to its improvement on the road, San Diego State has also performed better at home this season, posting a 6-4 mark in Cox Arena, including a split in its first four Mountain West Conference home games. At this point last year, the Aztecs were 6-6 at home and went on to finish up at 7-7, including a 3-4 mark in league games.
Learning To Win The Close Ones
Barb Smith pointed to it at the beginning of the season as a key to the 2000-01 campaign. After wining just 5-of-15 games decided by 10 points or less last season, SDSU appears to be learning how to win the close ones this year. The Aztecs won another close one Thursday versus Wyoming and came with in an eye lash of making it two in a row with their one-point loss to Colorado State. SDSU is now 7-5 in games decided by 10 or fewer points on the year, including victories in seven of the last 10 closes ones.
Defense Gets Back On Track
After holding nine straight opponents under 65 points, San Diego State's defense hit a bump in the road at New Mexico and versus UNLV as each poured in over 80 points. In SDSU's first 16 games of the season, only Missouri eclipsed the 80-point plateau, defeating the Aztecs 89-69 in Columbia. The Aztecs returned to the smothering style of defense last week against both Wyoming and Colorado State holding the Cowgirls to a season-low 50 points, and the Rams to their second-fewest points of the season, 55.
Defense Has Been Aztecs' Winning Edge All Season
San Diego State opened the 2000-01 season 10-6 and much of that had to do with its defense. Prior to giving up 86 points and allowing the Lobos to connect on 49 percent from the floor, the Aztecs had held nine of their previous 12 opponents below 60 points. During that span, SDSU opponents shot just 36.0 percent (131-of-364) from the floor, including a 27.4 percent (29-of-106) from three-point distance. The Aztecs' record in those 12 games: 9-3. SDSU was back to its old self against Wyoming and Colorado State, holding the two teams to a combined 39-of-100 from the floor and just 7-of-26 (27 percent) from three-point distance.
More on SDSU's Defense
San Diego State has allowed just one opponent to shoot better than 50 percent this season -- UNLV -- though both Missouri (.492) and New Mexico (.491) came close. In fact, the Aztecs have held 11 of their last 15 opponents to 39-percent shooting or less. Cal Poly became the third SDSU foe this season to shoot less than 30 percent from the field on Jan. 2. Earlier this year, the Aztecs held both Alcorn State and Cal State Fullerton below 30 percent shooting from the floor.
Still Hard To Get The Three...
Through 20 games, San Diego State remains the toughest team in the Mountain West Conference to sink a three-pointer against. Heading into Thursday's game at Utah, Aztec opponents are shooting just 29.8 percent from beyond the arc and, in the last 12 games, have connected on only 44 of their last 174 attempts (25.3 percent). SDSU has held three opponents -- San Jose State, Cal State Fullerton and California -- without a three-point basket.
...But Not For Air Force In Clune Arena
After watching Air Force connect on 9-of-22 (.409) threes last year in Colorado Springs, the Falcons were back at it in this year's first meeting, hitting on 9-of-17 (.529) attempts from beyond the arc, including a blistering 7-of-9 (.778) in the first half. It is the best three-point performance of the season by an Aztec opponent. Things returned to normal in "The Pit" and at home versus UNLV as New Mexico sank just 6-of-20 attempts (30 percent) and the Lady Rebels connected on only 2-of-11 tries (18 percent). Last week, Wyoming splashed just 4-of-13 tries from three-point distance and CSU was held to just 3-of-13.
Turnovers Still The Key
Despite struggling in the turnover department against UNLV (season-high 34), San Diego State has still had fewer miscues than its opponent in 12-of-20 contests. The Aztecs are 9-3 in those games and just 2-5 with more miscues.
Bundage Crashing The Boards
Senior Anita Bundage has been going strong to the glass in the Aztecs' last 10 games. Since Christmas, Bundage has led San Diego State in rebounding in 8-of-10 games, including five in a row. During that nine-game stretch, the senior is averaging just under seven rebounds per game, and has cleared eight or more rebounds four times.
Bundage Climbing Aztecs' Rebound Chart
Senior Anita Bundage eclipsed a significant plateau recently, becoming just the 11th Aztec to gather 500 or more rebounds in a career with five at New Mexico. Bundage had eight more versus both UNLV and Wyoming and seven against CSU and enters the Utah game with 522 career boards, just 13 shy of SDSU's top 10 in career rebounding.
Cox Eclipses 500
Sophomore Jamey Cox surpassed the 500-point plateau to open conference play with her 11-point effort versus Brigham Young. It was the 41st game of her Aztec career. She is on pace to become SDSU's first 1,000-point scorer since Jodi Nowlin-Tres in 1997 and could reach the mark as early as the end of next season.
Scho-Time Returns To Cox
After missing the last three straight games with a lower back strain, junior Missy Schomaker was back in the San Diego State lineup last weekend against Wyoming and Colorado State. Though she scored only seven points against the Cowgirls, they were some of the most significant of the game as they came in succession during a 14-0 SDSU second-half run that put the Aztecs in front for good. Versus the Rams, Schomaker finished with a co-game-high 12 points, her first double-digit scoring output since Jan. 2. Nine of her 12 points came during the Aztecs'15-2 that tied the game with under six minutes to play.
Three-Dot Data...
With 17 points Thursday vs. Wyoming, junior Claire Swinbank has now scored in double figures in 5-of-9 games...The Aztecs are just 2-5 when Jamey Cox finishes at the team's leading scorer but 7-3 when the sophomore point guard is the squads leader in assists...SDSU is 7-3 when Anita Bundage is the team's leading rebounder...Freshman Nicolette McCartney broke out of her recent shooting slump versus CSU, finishing a perfect 3-for-3 from the floor to retake her team lead in FG% shooting at 55.3 percent.