Nov. 30, 2001
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GAME #6Cal State Northridge (1-2)
at San Diego State (3-2)
Saturday, December 1, 2001
7:35 p.m. PST
Cox Arena at Aztec Bowl (12,414)
San Diego, Calif.
Tip Time: 7:35 p.m. PST.
Television: None.
Radio: KPOP AM -1360 in San Diego. Jim Stone (play-by-play) and Mike MacGregor (producing).
The Records: San Diego State (3-2) after a 98-53 victory over UC San Diego on Tuesday. Cal State Northridge (1-2) after a 99-65 loss at Howard on Monday.
SDSU Coach Steve Fisher: Fisher (Illinois State '67) is in his third season at San Diego State with a record of 22-39. Now in his 11th full seasons he has amassed a 206-121 mark. Fisher led Michigan to the 1989 national championships and made three trips to the national championship game in his eight full seasons in Ann Arbor. The 1991-92 national coach of the year led the Aztecs to a 14-14 mark last year.
Cal State Northridge Coach Bobby Braswell: Braswell (Cal State Northridge '84) is in his sixth season at Cal State Northridge and overall with an 86-65 record. The Matadors advanced to the NCAA tournament last season and have posted consecutive 20-win campaigns.
The Series: San Diego State leads the series 16-6, although Cal State Northridge has won two of the last three and four of the last seven contests played between the schools. The last time the teams met was on Jan. 30, 1996 when San Diego State posted an 80-47 victory in the Sports Arena. The Aztecs are 9-3 against the Matadors at home (2-0 at the Sports Arena and 7-3 in Peterson Gym).
Aztecs Play First of Four December Games Against 2001 NCAA Tournament Competition
After tying a school-record for victories in November, San Diego State embarks on a challenging final month of the 2001 calendar year with a game against 2001 NCAA tournament participant Cal State Northridge on Saturday at Cox Arena. Game time is set for 7:35 p.m. and will be broadcast on KPOP AM-1360 in San Diego (no television coverage).
Playing with its entire team for the first time this season, San Diego State turned up the defensive pressure and cruised to a 98-53 victory over crosstown Division II foe UC San Diego on Tuesday night at Cox Arena.
The Aztecs shot a Cox Arena record 67.8 percent from the field and claimed the seventh largest margin of victory in school history.
Cal State Northridge is 1-2, with a 101-47 victory over Dominican sandwiched between losses to Nevada (75-85) and Howard (65-99). Northridge has posted three straight winning seasons, two consecutive 20-win campaigns, and last season posted impressive nonconference wins over UCLA en route to the NCAA tournament. In addition to knocking off the nationally-ranked Bruins, the Matadors have also won road games at Oregon and Fresno State the last two seasons.
This is the first of four December games that pits the Aztecs against NCAA tournament teams from last season. Other games this month against last season's field of 65 are vs. Fresno State (Dec. 8), at Hawai'i (Dec. 14) and at Duke (Dec. 29).
San Diego State and Cal State Northridge are playing for the 23rd time, with the Aztecs owning a 16-6 series lead. San Diego State won the last encounter, 80-47, on Jan. 30, 1996. Despite that Aztec win, the Matador's have claimed two of the last three and and four of the last seven games between the teams.
On the Line
* San Diego State will try to extend its Cox Arena record non-conference winning streak. The Aztecs have won seven consecutive home games against non-conference opponents dating back to a 55-52 loss to San Diego on December 9th of last season. This is the longest such streak since San Diego State won 10 in a row out of conference competitions from Dec. 8, 1995 to Dec. 23, 1996 (streak broken on Nov. 14, 1997).
* The Aztecs are 13-4 (76.5 percent) against non-Mountain West Conference competition since the beginning of the 2000-01 season. * Tony Bland, the leading scorer in the Mountain West Conference and 20th nationally (through Monday), has scored more than 20 points in each of his first five games. He is the first SDSU player to do that in 16 seasons. Anthony Watson scored 20+ points in seven straight games during the 1985-86 season.
* San Diego State has won four consecutive games played in the month of December and is 8-7 in the Steve Fisher era during the month.
* With a victory, San Diego State would match its best six-game record to start a season since the 1984-85 team opened 5-1. That season the Aztecs advanced to the NCAA tournament and ended the campaign with a 23-8 mark.
* The Aztecs have not been outscored in the second half in any of the five games this season. Total points: SDSU 214, Opponents 171.
Records Fall as San Diego State Coasts to 98-53 Win over UCSD
San Diego State set arena records by shooting 67.8 percent from the field and dishing out 26 assists as the Aztecs recorded the seventh-largest margin of victory in school history with a 98-53 win over Division II-opponent UC San Diego on Tuesday,
Five Aztec players scored in double figures and 11 players tallied at least 12 minutes in the 45-point victory. Sophomore Aerick Sanders (12 points) and freshman Tommy Johnson (10 points) both had career highs.
San Diego State connected on 40-of-59 field goals in the contest, including 24-of-32 in the first half when the Aztecs raced out to a 57-30 advantage.
Tony Bland led all players with 20 points, connecting on 7-of-9 attempts from the field in just 22 minutes of action. He also had a game-high eight assists.
Noting the UC San Diego Game
* With the victory Tuesday, San Diego State has tied the school record for most victories in the month of November with three. The Aztecs set the record last season with Thanksgiving-month wins over UC San Diego, New Mexico State and Florida Atlantic (all at home).
* San Diego State extended its Cox Arena record non-conference winning streak to seven games. The Aztecs have not lost a non-conference home game since dropping a 55-52 decision to San Diego on December 9th of last season. This is the longest such streak since SDSU won 10 in a row against out of conference competition from Dec. 8 to Dec. 23, 1996 (streak broken on Nov. 14, 1997).
* The Aztecs are 13-4 against non-Mountain West Conference competition since the beginning of the 2000-01 season.
* The Aztecs are 6-3 in games played in November since 2000. The six victories equal the total number of wins San Diego State had in the 16 November games prior to the 2000 campaign when SDSU went 6-10.
* San Diego State has won six consecutive home games during the month of November. The last time the Aztecs lost at home in the month was Nov. 28, 1998, when Long Beach State handed San Diego State a 75-70 defeat. The six-game November home win streak is the second longest in school history.
* San Diego State has gone 11 straight games without losing consecutive games. The Aztecs have responded to each of their last five losses with victories.
* San Diego State's 57 first-half points were the most in any 20-minute period since the Aztecs scored 58 points in the second half of the Dec. 2, 1998, game against Southern California College. SDSU won that game 103-49.
* Tuesday's margin of victory is the seventh largest in school history (tied with a win over ISIU in 1986 and Fullerton JC in 1924-25). u San Diego State set a Cox Arena record with 26 assists.
* Tony Bland scored 20+ points for the fifth straight game. The preseason Mountain West Conference newcomer of the year is the first Aztec player to do that since Anthony Watson scored 20+ points in seven straight games during the 1985-86 season. It had been 16 seasons since any Aztec player scored 20+ points in at least four consecutive games.
* Myron Epps, starting his 56th consecutive game, scored four points to increase his career total to 1,050. That is good for 13th place on the SDSU all-time chart. He passed Danny Newport (1,048) who played from 1954-56.
* Randy Holcomb scored in double figures for the 30th time in his 33 career Aztec games. Overall, Holcomb has now 36 career double-figure scoring games.
* Aerick Sanders scored a career-high 12 points. His previous best was nine points at Brigham Young last season.
* Tommy Johnson scored a career-high 10 points on the strength of 4-of-5 shooting from the field.
* Al Faux went 4-for-7 with 10 points in his first showing on the court this season.
Know Thy Enemy: About Cal State Northridge
Location: Northridge, Calif.
Founded: 1958
Enrollment: 29,000
President: Dr. Jolene Koester
Athletic Director: Richard M. Dull
Nickname: Matadors
Colors: White and Black
Arena: The Matadome (1,600)
Conference: Big West
SDSU-Cal State Northridge History
This is the 23rd meeting between the Cal State Northridge and San Diego State with the Aztecs owning a 16-6.
The teams first met in 1961, and then played home-and-home each season from 1962 through 1970. The teams have played just five times since the 1969-70 season. After renewing the series in 1979, the teams did not meet again until the 1993-94 campaign.
This is the first game between the schools since Jan. 30, 1996, when San Diego State defeated Cal State Northridge 80-47 in the Sports Arena.
Despite that last victory, the Matadors have had an edge in the series having won two of the last three and four of the last seven games.
Quick Look at the Aztecs
San Diego State returns four starters and eight letterwinners off a squad that went 14-14, posting just the second .500 or better season in the last 16 years for the Aztecs.
San Diego State also added two high-profile transfers and a top-25 recruiting class to attract national attention.
Returning starters include three-year starter and 1,000-point scorer Myron Epps. The senior forward averaged 11.1 ppg and 4.5 rpg last season. Both figures were second on the team in 2000-01. He has started 56 consecutive games entering Saturday, and is averaging 5.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.
Joining Epps in the frontcourt is preseason first-team all-Mountain West Conference selection Randy Holcomb. The senior was The Sporting News Mountain West newcomer of the year last season and led the team in points and rebounds, averaging 15.9 and 6.6, respectively. This season, Holcomb is averaging 15.0 ppg and 8.4 rpg.
Deandre Moore and Al Faux return to the Mesa this season to provide stability in the backcourt.
Moore led the Mountain West Conference during league play in assists, despite playing the last half of the season with a separated shoulder. Moore has started all five games for the Aztecs this season, averaging 4.4 points and 3.8 assists per contest.
Faux, a walk-on, turned heads last season when he connected on 7-of-8 three-point field goal attempts vs. Oklahoma State. Faux was one of three players to average in double figures last season with a 10.5 ppg. He scored 10 points and added two assists in his first game of the season on Tuesday against UC San Diego.
Other returning letterwinners (with this season's statistics) include senior guard Karlo Kovacic (5.8 ppg, 1.4 apg), sophomore forward Aerick Sanders (4.4 ppg, 5.0 rpg) and sophomore forward Chris Walton (2.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg).
Added to the mix this season are two high-profile transfers.
Tony Bland, voted by the league media as the MWC newcomer of the year, played two seasons at Syracuse. The 6-4, junior guard started 32 games for the 1999-2000 Sweet 16 Orangemen squad.
Bland has not disappointed, he leads the team in both scoring and assists and became the first Aztec player since the 1985-86 campaign to score 20 or more points in five consecutive games. He currently leads the Mountain West in scoring at 22.8 ppg, and is also averaging 6.2 assists.
A player coach Fisher originally recruited to Michigan, Brandon Smith has joined the Aztecs for his senior season. The 6-7 swingman, played 80 games and made 39 starts in three seasons in Ann Arbor.
Smith had surgery on his right knee to repair torn cartilage on Nov. 6th, but is nearing 100 percentrecovery and has played in the last two games.
San Diego State's recruiting class was ranked among the top 25 nationally. Thus far, only two players new to the program have seen action, as the staff looks to redshirt a majority of the class.
Immediate impact players include Mike Mackell, a 6-9 junior college transfer from Porterville JC. A native of Washington D.C., Mackell was named the junior college player of the year in the Golden State last season. Mackell is third on the team in scoring at 11.2 ppg and is averaging 5.0 rpg. The junior has started three of the Aztecs' five games.
Also finding a spot in the rotation is true freshman Tommy Johnson. Johnson, a 6-4 guard, was the Los Angeles city player of the year last season while at Crenshaw High. After hitting on just one of his first 10 attempts from the field, the freshman has responded by connecting on six of his last 10 attempts.
Update Your Roster
San Diego State was severely shorthanded to open the season with Tuesday's UCSD game marking the first time the Aztecs played with it's core group of 11 players.
Senior Brandon Smith missed the first two games of the season due to the aforementioned knee surgery. He played briefly against Norfolk State and had his most productive post-surgery game on Tuesday. He is near 100 percent from recovery for the surgery.
Senior Al Faux missed the first four regular-season games (he also missed both exhibitions) due to a violation of team rules. Faux saw his first game action of the season on Tuesday night against UC San Diego and scored 10 points off the bench for the Aztecs.
Senior Karlo Kovacic missed the opening game of the season against Northern Iowa. Kovacic was serving a one-game NCAA suspension for playing on what the NCAA deemed a professional team in Croatia prior to his high school graduation.
One player that will not play again is senior guard Jim Roban. Roban, who was granted a sixth-year of eligibility late this summer, has continued to suffer through back pain this fall. A native of Las Vegas, Roban was Steve Fisher's first recruit after becoming San Diego State's head coach on March 26, 1999. Roban's injuries sidelined him during the 1999-2000 season and the guard fought through pain to see action in 11 games last season.
Nothing Bland About Tony
Junior guard Tony Bland continues to be one of the early season bright spots for the Aztecs.
Named the preseason Mountain West Conference newcomer of the year, Bland has not disappointed, leading the league in scoring at 22.8 points per game, while ranking second in assists at 6.20 per contest. Through Monday's games, the junior ranked 20th nationally in points per game.
Bland has scored 20 or more points in his first five games with the Aztecs. He is the first San Diego State player to string together at least five straight 20-point scoring games since Anthony Watson had seven consecutive 20-point scoring games during the 1985-86 campaign.