Dec. 19, 2001
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Eastern Wash. (5-5)
at San Diego State (6-3)
Thursday, December 20, 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).
The Records: San Diego State (6-3) after a 61-58 victory at Hawai'i on Friday. Eastern Washington is 5-5 after a 68-61 loss at Portland on Saturday.
SDSU Coach Steve Fisher: Fisher (Illinois State '67) is in his third season at San Diego State with a record of 25-40. Now in his 11th full season he has amassed a 209-122 mark. Fisher led Michigan to the 1989 national championship 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.
Eastern Washington Coach Giacoletti: Ray Giacoletti (Minot State '85) is in his second season at Eastern Washington with a 22-16 record. In his fifth season overall, Giacoletti is 70-49. Last season, Giacoletti led the Eagles to the Big Sky Conference championship game.
The Series: Eastern Washington leads the series 2-1 although the Aztecs have won the only meeting in San Diego. The teams last met on Nov. 22, 1997, with Eastern Washington claiming a 69-52 victory in Cheney, Wash. The Aztecs defeated the Eagles 80-55 at Cox Arena on Nov. 30, 1996.
Officials: Announced on game day.
San Diego State (6-3), winners of two straight games and four of its last five games, returns home for a Thursday contest against upstart Eastern Washington. Game time is set for 7:35 p.m. PST and will be broadcast on KPOP AM-1360 (there is no television coverage for the game).
With a victory, San Diego State can break the arena record for most consecutive wins and tie the Division I school-record for most consecutive non-conference home victories. The Aztecs have won five straight home games and nine straight non-conference home games.
Last week the Aztecs completed a sweep of their former Western Athletic Conference rivals, disposing of then 21st-ranked Fresno State 93-78 on Dec.8 and defeating Hawai'i 61-58 in Honolulu. It was the first time in 30 years and just the second time in school history that the Aztecs defeated the Bulldogs and Rainbow Warriors in the same season.The SDSU victory snapped an 11-game homecourt winning streak for the Rainbow Warriors.
For the fourth straight game, Al Faux tallied 20 or more points as he helped the Aztecs rally from a 13-point deficit to defeat Hawai'i. Last weeks Mountain West Conference Player of the Week scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half.
It was the third victory this month for the Aztecs over a team that advanced to the '01 NCAA Tournament. In addition to Hawai'i, San Diego State has also defeated Cal State Northridge and Fresno State this month.
Eastern Washington (5-5) has garnered some national attention for an eye-popping victory over then 10th-ranked Saint Joseph's (68-57). The Eagles also had a double-digit halftime lead at Gonzaga, before falling in overtime, 84-74.
Eastern Washington, which owns a 2-1 series lead, won the most recent meeting between the teams, a 69-52 decision on Nov. 22, 1997 in Cheney, Wash.