Feb. 16, 2001
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Game No. 23 SAN DIEGO STATE AZTECS (11-11/1-8 MWC) at NEW MEXICO LOBOS (14-8/3-5 MWC)
DATE: Saturday, February 17, 2001 TIME: 1:00 p.m. MST/noon PST SITE: The Pit/Bob King Court (18,018) in Albuquerque, N.M. TELEVISION: ESPN+Plus (Channel 4-San Diego). Rich Waltz (play-by-play) and Irv Brown (analysis). RADIO: KPOP-AM 1360 (San Diego) and via the SDSU internet home page. Jim Stone (play-by-play), Dave Marcus (producer). OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.goaztecs.com THE SERIES: New Mexico leads 29-17.
AZTEC HEADLINES *?-?The Sagarin Ratings show San Diego State as the ninth most improved team in the country, jumping from a preseason rating of 262 to 148 as of Feb. 16. (page 4) *?-?The 11 victories this season equal the total number of wins San Diego State had in the 62 games prior to this season. (page 2) *?-?Through 14 regular-season home games this season, San Diego State is averaging 4,465 fans, for an increase of 70.6 percent. Last season, the Aztecs averaged 2,618 fans for 15 home games. (page 2) *?-?Myron Epps is 27 points away from becoming the 18th player in SDSU history with 1,000 career points. (page 18)
Aztecs Embark on Final Road Trip of the Regular Season With Winning Season Within their Grasp, Travel to Albuquerque to Battle New Mexico San Diego State concludes a stretch which has the Aztecs playing seven out of 10 games on the road, with its final road trip of the season - playing at New Mexico on Saturday and at Air Force on Monday. The Aztec-Lobo game will be broadcast live by ESPN+Plus and seen in the San Diego market on Channel 4-San Diego and broadcast by KPOP-AM 1360 (San Diego) and on the internet at goaztecs.com. On Monday, the Aztecs dropped a heart-breaking 69-66 decision to Brigham Young. It was the fifth straight loss for the Aztecs, which fell to the .500-mark for the first time this season. The defeat marked the fourth time this season San Diego State has lost a game by three points or less or in overtime. Despite the loss, with an 11-11 record, the Aztecs still have an opportunity to post their second winning season since the 1984-85 campaign. The 11 wins this season are two more than the Aztecs recorded when they went 9-45 the last two seasons combined, and it equals the total number of victories for San Diego State in the 62 games prior to this season. New Mexico snapped a four-game losing streak with an impressive 91-78 victory over Georgia State on Saturday. The Lobos are 14-8 overall, 3-5 in conference play and have posted a 10-2 mark at The Pit this season. Following the game the Aztecs will fly to Denver and bus to Colorado Springs in preparation for Monday's game against Air Force. After that, the Aztecs return home to Cox Arena, where San Diego State is 10-4 this season, for the final three regular season games.
Brigham Young Rallies in Second Half for 69-66 Victory Brigham Young scored seven consecutive points in the final two minutes of the game to rally for a 69-66 victory over San Diego State on Saturday night at Cox Arena. The Aztecs shot 51.1 percent from the field, 45.5 percent from three-point range and 93.8 percent from the free throw line, but were unable to come away with a victory. Center Marcelo Correa played perhaps the best game of his senior season scoring a season-high 18 points in 24 minutes of action. It was the third time in four games he has tallied in double figures. Joining Correa in double figures for the Aztecs were Al Faux and Randy Holcomb. Faux, who made just his second start in the last six games, connected on 3-of-5 three-point field goals en route to 15 points. Holcomb tallied in double figures for the 21st time in 22 games this season with 13 points. The Aztecs led by seven points at intermission and increased the lead to nine points on a Faux jumper to open the second half. The Cougars wilted away at the lead, and tied the game at 48 on a Nate Knight layup with 10:18 remaining. The game went back and forth in the final 10 minutes of the contest, with the Aztecs taking their final lead, 63-62, on a tip-in by Correa with 3:31 left. Trent Whiting, who scored five of the Cougars final seven points, made a three-pointer to put BYU up 65-63 with 1:14 to play. Whiting and Mekeli Wesley each tallied 21 points for the Cougars.
Wrapping Up the BYU Game The San Diego community continues to respond to the Aztecs on-court success. Through 12 regular season games, the Aztecs have drawn 62,510 for an average of 4,465, an increase of 70.6 percent over last season. Monday's crowd of 5,037 marks the eighth time this season San Diego State has played at home in front of at least 4,000 fans. All of last season, San Diego State drew just one crowd of more than 4,000 fans. MARCELO CORREA scored in doubles figures for the third time in four games, the fourth time this season and the 28th time in his career. In his last four games, Correa is 19-for-21 from the line. The 18-point effort was the third highest of Correa's career. San Diego State shot 51.1 percent from the field, marking the first time the Aztecs have lost this season when shooting 50 percent or better from the field (5-1). San Diego State connected on a season-best 93.8 percent of its free throws, connecting on 15-of-16 from the line. The school record was 13-of-13 against Fresno State during the 1977-78 season. RANDY HOLCOMB scored in double figures for the 21st time in 22 games. AL FAUX connected on three, three-point field goals and ended the game with 15 points. It was the 12th time this season the junior guard has scored in double figures. CHRIS WALTON scored a career-high eight points in the contest. The freshman has scored 14 points in his last two games, the highest two-game total of his career.
Closer than the Score Might Indicate Although an 0-2 homestand was not the outcome San Diego State was looking for, the Aztecs did show impressive progress on the two-game homestand. Utah's 13-point victory last Saturday (76-63), the 12th straight in the series, was the smallest margin of victory for the Utes since an eight-point win on Jan. 15, 1996. Utah's previous six victories in the series all were by at least 14 points, with an average margin of 23.3 points. Brigham Young's three-point victory on Monday (69-63), the seventh straight in the series, was the smallest margin of victory for the Cougars since the Aztecs defeated the Cougars 89-86 in overtime on Dec. 31, 1996. Brigham Young's previous four victories in the series resulted in an average of margin of victory of 21.3 points.
Talkin' Bout A Revolution San Diego State is still turning heads across the country with the amazing turnaround. Below is a look at some of the accomplishments for second-year head coach Steve Fisher and the 2000-01 Aztecs. San Diego State is 11-11 this season. The 11 victories this season equal the total number of wins San Diego State had in the 62 games prior to this season. The 11 victories surpass the number of wins for the Aztecs in the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 seasons combined and equal or are more wins than the Aztecs have posted in five of the last nine years Earlier this season the Aztecs won six consecutive games, tying for the fifth longest winning streak of the Division I era and the longest since the Aztecs won eight straight games in December of 1984. Prior to the streak, San Diego State had gone 109 consecutive games without a three-game winning streak. The Aztecs have already broken three significant losing streaks. San Diego State opened the season by snapping a 17-game overall losing streak with a victory over UC San Diego. On Jan. 6, the Aztecs put to rest a 30-game road losing streak by defeating Loyola Marymount, 61-58. It had been 1,067 days since the Aztecs claimed a road win on Feb. 4, 1998. The Aztecs claimed their first Mountain West Conference victory, snapping a 17-game conference losing streak with the win over Air Force. At 11-11, San Diego State is searching for just its second winning season since the 1984-85 campaign. In 1995-96 the Aztecs finished with a 15-14 record. The Aztecs' dramatic turnaround has carried over to the turnstiles. Attendance for the 2000-01 season is up 70.6 percent over last season and that figure is likely to increase with four Mountain West Conference games remaining. This season the Aztecs have played before crowds of 4,000 or more eight times after drawing only one crowd of more than 4,000 last season.
MASH Update San Diego State continues to be plagued by health problems, with three players missing the Brigham Young game due to injuries. Starting point guard Deandre Moore missed the game against the Cougars due to pain caused by a slight separation in his left shoulder. Moore originally injured his shoulder in the opening minutes of the game against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Jan. 4. Although he has missed significant practice time since the injury, the BYU game marked just the second contest he has missed due to the injury. He is questionable for Saturday's game at New Mexico. Although in uniform, senior Jim Roban missed his fifth consecutive game due to discomfort in his back. Roban, who had off-season back surgery, has played in just five games this season. He is expected to be uniform on Saturday and his availability to play is listed as day-to-day. On Jan. 16, the Aztecs learned they would be without freshman Aerick Sanders until at least March 1st due to a stress reaction in his right foot. Sanders, who had played through pain through three weeks, played in all of the first 16 games this season, averaging 3.8 points and 3.8 rebounds.
Know Thy Enemy: About New Mexico Location: Albuquerque, N.M. Founded: 1889 Enrollment: 24,250 President: Dr. William Gordon Athletic Director: Rudy Davalos Nickname: Lobos Colors: Cherry and Silver Arena (Capacity): Bob King Court (18,018) Conference: Mountain West
Noting the Lobos New Mexico snapped a four-game losing streak with a 91-78 victory over Georgia State on Monday night at The Pit. Guard Ruben Douglas scored 26 points and added 10 rebounds for the Lobos, which enjoyed a 44-22 advantage in points in the paint. On the season, New Mexico is 14-8 overall, 3-5 in Mountain West Conference play. The Lobos are 11-2 at The Pit this season, losing to New Mexico State in overtime (68-79) and Wyoming (78-82). The Lobos are paced by their three-guard lineup - Marlon Parmer, Eric Chatfield and Douglas. All three players average in double figures, paced by Douglas. A sophomore from Altadena, Calif., Douglas, a transfer from Arizona, averages 15.6 ppg and 6.2 rpg. Chatfield, a junior from New York City, scored at a 15.5 ppg clip, while chipping in 4.1 rpg. Parmer, a sophomore from Los Angeles, averages 10.0 ppg and leads the team in assists at 5.6 apg. Beginning with the game against Georgia State, New Mexico ends the season with five of seven games at home.
SDSU-New Mexico Series History Saturday marks the 47th meeting between New Mexico and San Diego State, with the Lobos owning a 29-17 series advantage. New Mexico has claimed nine straight in the series and 17 of the last 18 meetings between the teams. On Jan. 8 in San Diego, New Mexico snapped San Diego State's six-game win streak with a 75-67 victory. The eight-point margin was the closest the Aztecs have come to defeating the Lobos since an 83-78 UNM victory during the 1995-96 season. Since that game, the Lobos have won by margins of 19, 30, 25, 21, 29 and eight points (earlier this year). Eric Chatfield scored 27 points as New Mexico rallied from an 11-point deficit to defeat San Diego State 75-67 on Jan. 8 at Cox Arena. The win snapped a six-game win streak for the Aztecs, which suffered their first loss in 30 days. Junior forward Randy Holcomb scored 22 points and added a game-high nine rebounds for the Aztecs. San Diego State used a 14-2 run midway through the first half for a 22-11 lead with 7:28 to play before intermission. The Lobos ended the half on an 11-3 run and led by one point at intermission. The game, which featured seven ties and seven lead changes, see-sawed back and forth with neither team leading by more than three points in the first 11 minutes of the second half. New Mexico used an 11-2 run to build an eight-point lead with 7:53 to play. The Aztecs closed to within four points on two occasions, but were unable to get any closer. San Diego State enjoyed a 35-31 rebound advantage, but 17 turnovers (compared to 10 for the Lobos) and 15-of-28 shooting from the free-throw line sealed the Aztecs' fate.
Cliff Notes: The Aztecs Under second-year coach Steve Fisher, the Aztecs continue to show remarkable progress from last season. At 11-11, the Aztecs have two more victories than their win total from the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 seasons combined. The Aztecs have shown improvement in every statistical category. San Diego State has started four line-ups thus far, with eight players seeing action in at least 20 of 22 games this season. One area in which the Aztecs have been particularly solid is on defense. San Diego State has held opponents to 69.5 points per contest. More impressive has been a defensive effort that has held opponents to 41.4 percent field goal shooting on the season. As late as last month, the Aztecs were 17th nationally in field-goal percentage defense. Junior forwards Randy Holcomb and Myron Epps lead a scoring punch which has seen the Aztecs' points per game rise from 62.3 last season to 69.5 this year. Holcomb, a transfer from L.A. City College, leads the team with a 15.9 scoring average and 6.6 rebounds per contest. On Dec. 18, Holcomb became the first Aztec player to earn Mountain West Conference Player of the Week honors and three weeks later he earned the award for the second time this season. Epps, a two-year starter, has scored in double-figures in 17 of his last 25 games and has shot 50 percent or better from the field in 17-of-22 contests this season. The Tulare, Calif., native is averaging 12.0 ppg and 4.8 rpg, while connecting on 57.4 percent of his field goal attempts. A pair of new guards have helped breathe life into the Aztec backcourt. Sophomore guard Deandre Moore and junior Al Faux have paid immediate dividends. Moore, a transfer from Vanderbilt, is averaging 6.9 points and 5.0 assists while Kovacic, a transfer from Modesto Junior College, has hit on 35-of-92 three-point attempts for 38.0 percent. He is averaging 6.1 points per contest. Senior center Marcelo Correa has connected on 45 of his 74 field-goal attempts this season (60.8 percent), while averaging 6.2 points and 4.0 rebounds. He has a team-high 23 blocked shots. Off the bench, the Aztecs bring experience and scoring punch to the backcourt in juniors David Abramowitz and Al Faux. Abramowitz, a two-year letterwinner, is averaging less than a turnover a game this season and has more than a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, while Shoreline Junior College transfer Al Faux is third on the team in scoring at 10.9 ppg, despite average playing time of only 25.3 minutes. Faux set a school-record for three-point field goal percentage by connecting on 7-of-8 attempts from bonus distance en route to a career-high 28 points against Oklahoma State. Freshmen Chris Walton and Aerick Sanders have provided valuable assistance in the post positions off the bench. Sanders, a native of Carson, Calif., was averaging 3.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per contest, before being sideline with a foot injury. The freshman already has recorded 15 blocked shots this season. Walton, a San Diego product, has chipped in 3.0 points and 2.1 rebounds per contest.
The Nation's Most Improved Team? Not many people would argue that San Diego State is vastly improved over the squad that went 5-23 last season, but is San Diego State one of the most improved team in the country? According to the Sagarin ratings, yes. The Aztecs opened the season as the 262nd team with a 63.66 rating. After an 11-11 start, the Feb. 16th edition of the ratings had San Diego State with a 72.25 rating for 148th place. San Diego State is one of just 11 schools that is currently 100 spots higher than its preseason ranking, and has made the ninth biggest jump among all Division I schools in the rankings. Following is a look at the biggest jumps from the preseason Sagarin rating as compared to ratings released on Feb 16. Rk. Team Preseason As of 2/16 +/- 1. Holy Cross 291 103 +188 2. UC Irvine 228 77 +151 3. McNeese State 273 123 +150 4. Georgia State 198 62 +136 5. Arkansas-LR 257 127 +130 6. Central Michigan 217 92 +125 7. Boston College 137 13 +124 8. Southern Utah 214 93 +121 9. San Diego State 262 148 +114 10. Cal State Northridge 205 94 +111
Improvement You Can Measure No one would argue that San Diego State is a much improved team over last season. One way to measure that is to compare scores from repeat opponents from the '99-00 season and the '00-01 seasons. In the 15 games between repeat opponents, San Diego State has shown 141 points of improvement or 9.4 points per game. On four occasions, the Aztecs have posted revenge victories, avenging losses to New Mexico State, Arizona State, Oklahoma State and Air Force. Below is a look at opponents that San Diego State has played in each of Fisher's two seasons with the Aztecs. For conference games, results and scores are compared by site. Opponent '99-00 '00-01 +/- New Mexico State L, 49-66 W, 77-62 +32 UC Santa Barbara W, 60-57 L, 77-80 -6 San Diego L, 45-73 L, 52-55 +25 Arizona State L, 85-99 W, 64-62 +16 Oklahoma State L, 63-97 W, 87-66 +55 Loyola Marymount W, 70-63 W, 61-58 -4 vs. New Mexico L, 57-78 L, 67-75 +13 at Brigham Young L, 50-67 L, 50-79 -12 at Utah L, 65-83 L, 39-58 -1 Air Force 3ot-L, 77-81 W, 67-43 +28 at UNLV L, 55-83 ot-L, 72-82 +18 at Wyoming L, 87-93 L, 66-101 -29 at Colorado State L, 67-75 L, 56-77 -13 Utah L, 55-70 L, 63-76 +2 Brigham Young L, 50-72 L, 66-69 +19
Comparing the Numbers Through 22 games, the improvement in San Diego State from last season and this season is apparent. To date, the Aztecs are holding opponents to 41.4 percent field goal percentage. Below is a look at how other numbers stack up against last season. 1999-2000 2000-2001 Record 5-23 11-11 PPG 62.3 69.5 Opp. PPG 74.9 67.7 Scoring Margin -12.6 +1.8 FG Percentage 40.9 45.0 3FG Percentage 29.9 34.5 Free Throw Percentage 68.0 65.4 Opponent FG Percentage 45.6 41.4 Rebound Margin -6.3 -2.3 Turnover Margin -1.6 0.0
If You Win, They Will Come The San Diego community continues to respond to the Aztecs' improved play. Through 14 regular-season home games this season, San Diego State is averaging 4,465 fans, for an increase of 70.6 percent. Last season, the Aztecs averaged 2,618 fans for 15 home games. Equally impressive is the increase in attendance in non-conference games. Last season, the Aztecs averaged 2,133 fans per non-conference game. This season, with the non-conference season complete, the Aztecs averaged 3,838 fans for an increase of 79.9 percent. Earlier this season, the Aztecs played before the 11th largest home crowd in school history and the second biggest crowd of the Cox Arena era when the Aztecs play host to San Diego. In fact three of the four and five of the largest nine crowds in the history of Cox Arena have occurred this season. San Diego State has played in front of eight home crowds of more than 4,000 this year. Last season, the Aztecs drew over 4,000 just one time. The Aztecs have sent the large crowds home happy this season, winning 10 of 14 games at Cox Arena.
Holcomb Earns Second Mountain West Player of the Week Honor Junior forward Randy Holcomb was named Mountain West Conference Player of the Week for the period ending Jan. 7. It was the second time he won the award this season. A native of Chicago, Holcomb led the Aztecs with 19 points and seven rebounds in the 61-58 victory at Loyola Marymount on Jan. 6. It is the second time Holcomb has received the honor this season with the first coming the week of Dec. 17. At that time Holcomb became the first Aztec to be honored by the Mountain West Conference and the first player to be honored with the weekly award since Jason Richey earned the WAC player of the week award on Dec. 9, 1996. Holcomb leads San Diego State in scoring with 15.9 ppg and has recorded double-figure scoring games in 21 of the 22 Aztecs games this season. Holcomb has recorded four double-doubles this season.
Double-Digit Streaks Randy Holcomb, had his double-figures scoring streak snapped at 18 consecutive games, when he tallied eight points in the game at Wyoming on Feb. 3. Holcomb recorded just the fifth streak of 18 or more consecutive double-figure scoring games in the last 20 years, and owns the longest streak to start an Aztec career. Most Consecutive Double-Digit Scoring Games (Since 1981) 1. Anthony Watson, 84-85, 85-86 31 2. Michael Cage, 82-83, 83-84 27 3. *-Randy Holcomb, 00-01 18 Jason Richey, 97-98 18 Michael Cage, 1983-84 18 6. Anthony Watson, 84-85 17 7. *-Jason Richey, 96-97 15 Shawn Jamison, 89-90 15 Marty Dow, 90-91 14 10. Carlus Groves, 93-94 12 Shawn Jamison, 89-90 12 Michael Best, 88-89 12 12. Berry Randle, 94-95 11 13. Roy Kruiswyk, 97-98 10 Kevin Betts, 97-98 10 * -?Indicates streak started in first career Aztec game.
Six-Game Winning Streak Was the Longest in 17 Years The Aztecs' six-game win streak earlier this season was the longest in 17 years and approached the school's Division I record of eight games set during the 1984-85 season. The streak was the fifth longest in school history. Below is a look at the longest winning streaks during the Division I era. Longest Winning Streaks (Since 1968-69) 1. 1984-85 8 games 2. 1982-83 7 games 1977-78 7 games 1971-72 7 games 5. 2000-01 6 games 1981-82 6 games 7. 1996-97 5 games 1989-90 5 games 1984-85 5 games 1981-82 5 games 1975-76 5 games 1974-75 5 games
The Roaring 20s When three Aztec players scored 20 points against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, it became the first time time an Aztec team had three players score 20 or more points since at least the 1981-82 season. At no time during the past 20 years did three Aztec players score 20 or more points in a single game.
Wired For Cox San Diego State has posted a 14-4 record in non-conference home games during the Steve Fisher era. A marked improvement over the 2-6 mark the Aztecs posted during the 1998-99 campaign, the year prior to Fisher's arrival. This season the Aztecs are 10-4 in Cox Arena, with the lone non-conference setback being a three-point loss to San Diego.
Most Wins Before the New Year The Aztecs posted eight victories during the month of December, tying the school record for most wins prior to January 1st. The Aztecs recorded eight victories prior to the year change in 1996-97, 1989-90, 1984-85, 1981-82 and 1971-72. Below is a look at the most victories San Diego State has posted prior to New Year's Day. Most November-December Victories in School History 1. 2000-01 8-3 1996-97 8-2 12-15 overall 1984-85 8-2 23-8 overall, NCAA Tourney 1981-82 8-2 20-9 overall, Postseason NIT 1982-83 8-2 18-10 overall 1971-72 8-2 18-10 overall 1989-90 8-5 13-18 overall 8. 1983-84 7-3 15-13 overall 1978-79 7-3 15-12 overall 10. 1980-81 6-2 15-12 overall 1988-89 6-4 12-17 overall 1987-88 6-5 12-17 overall
The Most Dominating Five Games of the Division I Era In a Division I history that spans 33 seasons and 903 games, the five games San Diego State put together to open the 2000 campaign are the most dominating in school history. By outscoring their foes by 94 points (400-306) in the first five games this season, the Aztecs broke the previous mark of 90 points (417-327) set by the 1984-85 Western Athletic Conference champions and NCAA Tournament team. That season, San Diego State opened with wins at UC Irvine (86-77), vs. Morgan State (128-68), vs. San Diego (57-53), vs. UC Santa Barbara (84-69), at Long Beach State (62-60). This year, the Aztecs have won four games by 15 points or more, three by 22 points or more and two by 32 points or more, to break the record.
Playing the Field One area in which the 1999-2000 Aztecs struggled was shooting. San Diego State shot just 40.9 percent from the floor last season. In addition the squad was 29.9 percent from behind the arc. This season, the Aztecs are shooting 45.0 percent from the field, including 34.4 percent from three-point range. Individually, senior center Marcelo Correa has hit on 37-of-60 field goal attempts, for 61.7 percent. In addition to connecting on his first nine field goal attempts of the season, he is 37-for-49 from the free throw line for 75.5 percent. Junior guard Al Faux has given the Aztec backcourt a spark. In addition to dishing out 56 assists, Faux is averaging 10.7 points per game, including 29-of-71 (40.8 percent) from three-point range. Junior forward Myron Epps is shooting 58.1 percent from the field (93-of-160) while averaging 12.4 points per contest.
The Future Two more newcomers who will not play this season are transfers Tony Bland (a junior from Syracuse) and Brandon Smith (a senior-to-be from Michigan). Both players will be eligible for the 2001-02 season.