Dec 1, 2001
SAN DIEGO (AP) - Tony Bland scored 22 points and Al Faux added 21 off the bench as San Diego State beat Cal State Northridge 80-70 on Saturday.
Randy Holcomb added 20 points and 10 rebounds for San Diego State (4-2).
Holcomb's inside basket and two Chris Walton free throws extended San Diego State's lead to 14 with 11:27 remaining in the game.
The Aztecs then used free throws and defense to hang onto their lead. They went without a basket for 8:49 and hit only 12 of their next 18 free throws.
Cal State Northridge (1-3) closed to within 63-58. But Bland ended the field goal drought with a 3-pointer with 3:04 remaining to give SDSU a 72-60 edge. Bland has scored 20 points or more in each of his six games this season, the longest streak by an Aztec since 1985-86.
The Matadors never got closer than 10 points the rest of the way.
Markus Carr scored 22 for Cal State Northridge, true freshman Chris Davis added 13, and Ian Boylan had 13 off the bench.
The Aztecs hit 33-of-44 free throws, compared to 12-of-27 for Cal State Northridge.
The Aztecs' 4-2 mark is their best six-game start since a 5-1 record in 1984.