Feb. 20, 2002
Game No. 24San Diego State (9-14/1-9)
at Air Force (4-19/0-10)
Thursday - Feb. 21, 2002
Clune Arena (6,000)
Colorado Springs, Colo.
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Tip-Off: 7 p.m. (MST)/6 p.m. (PST)
Webcast: For the second consecutive season all San Diego State women's basketball games can be heard live over the Internet at www. goaztecs.com. Bill Earley (p-b-p) and Tammy Blackburn (color) will call all the home webcasts, with Dan Lawton handling the play-by-play from the road.
The Records: San Diego State dropped to 9-14 (1-9 MWC) Saturday as the Aztecs fell to No. 15 Colorado State, 69-60. Air Force is coming off a 71-53 loss at Utah and is 4-19 (0-10 MWC).
In The RPI: SDSU is ranked No. 186 in the in the most recent collegerpi.com index. Air Force State is No. 261.
SDSU Coach Barb Smith: Smith (Ohio State '86) is in her fifth season at San Diego State. She owns an overall record of 48-83 (.366) with the Aztecs.
Air Force Coach Ardie McInelly: McInelly (Boise State '82) is in her first season with the Falcons and her sixth as a head coach. She owns an overall record of 81-81 (.500).
Series History: San Diego State is 8-1 all time versus Air Force, including a perfect 3-1 mark versus the Falcons in Colorado Springs.
Aztecs Open Final Conference Road Trip Thursday Night At Air Force
San Diego State plays its final two road games of the 2001-02 season this week as the Aztecs travel to Air Force and New Mexico. The Aztecs open the two-game swing Thursday in Colorado Springs at the Academy, before wrapping up the road portion of its schedule in the Pit against New Mexico Saturday. Both games can be heard live over the Internet at www.goaztecs.com.
Coming off a heart-breaking three-game home stand, San Diego State will be out to snap its longest losing streak of the season -- five games -- when the Aztecs take the court against the Falcons. SDSU, which hasn't won since knocking off Air Force at home back on Jan. 26th, has been a competitive but unlucky squad of late as the Aztecs dropped their last three decisions by an average of just over nine points per game.
Air Force enters Thursday's game riding a 10-game losing streak. The Falcons closed out their non-league slate with back-to-back wins, but haven't been able to break through in conference play.
San Diego State leads the all-time series with Air Force, 8-1, and has won four straight over the Falcons.
At Stake For The Aztecs
* San Diego State will be out to snap a five-game losing streak when it meets Air Force Thursday night in Colorado Springs, Colo. The Aztecs have not won since defeating the Falcons, 58-50, back on Jan. 26th.
* San Diego State will be looking to extend its current winning streak against Air Force to five games. SDSU hasn't lost to the Academy since dropping a 77-72 decision to the Falcons in Colorado Springs back on Jan. 22, 2000.
* The Aztecs will also be looking to make it two in a row over Air Force in Colorado Springs. San Diego State is 3-1 all-time in games played at Air Force, including a 50-49 win over the Academy last season.
* San Diego State will be out to snap an 11-game road conference losing streak when the Aztecs meet Air Force Thursday. The Aztecs last MWC road victory was last year's win over the Academy in Colorado Springs.
A Quick Look At The Aztecs
San Diego State has fallen on hard times since the start of league competition. After opening the year 8-5, the Aztecs have won just once in Mountain West Conference play and enter the week with a 1-9 league record.
Still, SDSU has been a competitive squad as five of its nine losses have been by 10 or fewer points, including three in a row. The Aztecs have been holding their own on the defensive end and have held conference foes below 60 points five times. However, the lid has remained on SDSU's basket. The Aztecs are averaging just 51.4 ppg and are shooting just 34 percent over the last 10 games.
If the Aztecs are to get their ship righted before the end of the season they will have to return to the kind of offensive performance they produce during non-conference play. San Diego State shot over 43 percent and averaged 65.0 points per game prior to opening Mountain West action. One player that hasn't struggled during conference competition is guard Claire Swinbank. On fire over the last month and a half, the senior has averaged over 13 points and nearly six rebounds in league games, leading the Aztecs in scoring six times and finishing with double-digit points seven times. She is also averaging 2.4 steals per conference game, good for second in the Mountain West.
Up front, forward Atim Otii continues to be the Aztecs' go-to player. Otii, who has scored in double figures 14 times this season, is averaging nearly 11 points per game and ranks eighth in the MWC in rebounding with 6.2 rebounds per game.
Juniors Jamey Cox and Ashonda Williams have also been solid offensively this season for SDSU. Cox was back in double figures against Colorado State, pouring in 14 points and canning 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. She is averaging just under 10 points per game this season. Williams, who had 12 points against Wyoming last week, has been a huge 3-point weapon for SDSU and ranks 12th in 3-point percentage and 10th in 3-pointers made.
San Diego State-Air Force Series Shorts
* San Diego State leads the all-time series, 8-1.
* SDSU is 3-1 against Air Force in Colorado Springs.
* San Diego State has played the Falcons fewer times, nine, than any other Mountain West rival.
* The Aztecs have won four straight over the Falcons, including a 50-49 last-second win last year in Colorado Springs.
* Jamey Cox did not play in last year's game in Colorado Springs, as she served a one-game suspension for missing a mandatory athletic department meeting.
* The Aztecs and Falcons have played very close games in Colorado Springs recently. In fact, the last two meetings at Air Force were decided by a combined six points.
* Air Force posted its only Mountain West Conference win against San Diego State, defeating the Aztecs 77-72 in Colorado Springs on Jan. 22, 2000.
* San Diego State holds both the highest point total (89, 1997) and largest margin of victory (32, twice) in the nine-game series.
* Aztec head coach Barb Smith is 6-1 against Air Force.
* First-year Falcon head coach Ardie McInelly posted a 1-1 record versus San Diego State while coaching at Idaho State. She is 0-1 against the Aztecs at Air Force.
A Quick Look At Air Force
Air Force enters the week coming off back-to-back losses in the Beehive State and is still searching for its first conference win of the season. In fact, the Falcons have won just one league game since formation of the Mountain West Conference and have dropped 37 straight versus league opposition, including a pair of postseason tournament games.
Sophomore Amoy Jackson continues to pace the Falcons on the scoreboard, averaging 10.6 ppg. But it was sophomore Shawna Neff who had the big week at Utah and BYU last week for the Falcons. Neff, who averages just 6.3 points, canned 5-of-6 treys en route to 22 points at Utah and added 10 more versus BYU.
Freshman guard Latoya Howell has also been solid since the start of league play, averaging a team-best 12.2 points per game.
On the rebounding front, Air Force ranks last in rebounding margin (-2.8 rpg) but continues to lead the Mountain West Conference on the offensive glass with 14.04 o-boards per game. Jackson also leads the Falcons in rebounding (5.3 rpg) followed by senior forward Samantha Clifton (4.4 rpg).
Finishing Touches From The CSU Game
* San Diego State led the 15th-ranked Rams by as many as 11 points late in the first half and by six with 15 minutes to play before Colorado State used a 24-5 run to take control of the game.
* Jamey Cox and Claire Swinbank each had 14 points to lead the Aztecs.
* Swinbank and Ashonda Williams both pulled down six rebounds to lead the Aztecs on the glass.
* Williams also had a career-high five assists.
* San Diego State's 60 points and 44-percent shooting were both conference season highs. * Cox was a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc.
* San Diego State finished the game with 13 steals and has now had double-digit thefts five times since the start of conference play.
The Last Time We Met: AF at SDSU 1/26/02
SAN DIEGO - The Aztecs snapped a four-game losing streak and got their first Mountain West Conference win of the season with a 58-50 victory over Air Force when the two teams squared off earlier this season in Cox Arena.
Claire Swinbank scored a season- and game-high 19 points and Jamey Cox finished with 15 points in the winning effort. Atim Otii scored just four points, but lead the way on the glass for SDSU, grabbing eight rebounds.
Gwen Grove scored all of her 12 points in the final eight minutes of the game to lead the way for Air Force, which hung tough throughout the contest and trailed by just a point with eight minutes to play.
But the Aztecs scored the game's next nine points, including two short jumpers in the paint by Valencia Howard, who closed out the game with 11 points and five boards, to put the game out or reach.
Air Force never got closer than six points in the final two minutes as the Aztecs hit seven of eight free throws to put the game on ice.
These Two Crash The Offensive Boards
If you like offensive rebounding you should enjoy Thursday's San Diego State at Air Force game. The Flacons are the Mountain West's top offensive rebounding club, averaging 14.04 per game. However, since the start of conference play, no one has crashed the offensive glass harder than the Aztecs, who lead the league in offensive rebounding since the start of MWC competition with 14.90 per game.
Streaking With The Aztecs
* Senior Claire Swinbank has scored in double figures in 11 of the last 14 games and has led SDSU in scoring in 6-of-8.
* Senior Atim Otii has grabbed at least seven rebounds in six of San Diego State's last nine games. She has also scored in double figures in 14-of-22 games this season.
* San Diego State is a perfect 5-0 when scoring at least 70 points and 8-4 when holding an opponent under 60.
* The Aztecs are 5-1 when attempting more free throws and 5-0 when making more free throws than their opponent. However, SDSU has taken more free throws than just one Mountain West opponent - Air Force.
* SDSU is 2-0 when shooting at least 50 percent.
On The Charts
* With 184 free throws, Atim Otii needs to make just 11 more this season to crack SDSU's all-time top 10. Earlier this year the senor busted SDSU's top 10 in attempts.
* Otii needs just six more blocks to take over the No. 6 position in blocked shots. She is also within 30 boards of cracking SDSU's top 10 in rebounding.
* Junior Jamey Cox has 160 career 3-point baskets and ranks No. 2 all time. She needs 46 more to catch SDSU's career leader Falisha Wright (206).
* Cox, No. 9 all-time in assists, is just 12 shy of moving into the Aztecs' No. 8 position.
Stop, Thief
One of San Diego State's most dramatically improved areas this season has been in the steals department.
* The Aztecs enter the week ranked No. 3 overall and No. 2 in league games in thefts.
* SDSU has had more steals than its opponent in 14-of-23 games.
* The Aztecs have reached double figures in steals 11 times this season.
* Over the last 15 games, SDSU has registered double-figure steals 10 times, and narrowly missed making it 12 with nine steals at both UNLV and BYU.
* SDSU grabbed a season-high 20 against Radford and 18 versus Detroit to close out its pre-conference slate.
Either Way It's All Good
San Diego State has found it can win with both defense and offense this season. Through 23 games, the Aztecs are a perfect 5-0 when scoring at least 70 points. SDSU is also 6-4 when holding an opponent below 60 points.
Getting Defensive
San Diego State's defense has been ranked among the league's best for most of the season. Through 23 games, the Aztecs have held 14 opponents to 40 percent shooting or worse, including 7-of-10 conference foes.
In fact, only Utah has been able to crack 40 percent against the Aztecs in the last six games. Wyoming in Laramie is the only opponent this season to crack the 50-percent plateau. Prior to that game, SDSU had allowed just three of its previous 11 opponents to shoot better than 40 percent and had held 6-of-8 below 60 points.
Can I Get A Free Throw, Please
San Diego State has fared well this season when getting to to the free throw line, going 5-1 when taking more foul shots than its opponent. However, since the start of conference play the Aztecs have seldom visited the stripe.
In SDSU's 10 conference games, five of which have been played away from Cox Arena, opponents have taken more foul shots nine times and the numbers are staggering. While SDSU is 69-of-126 from the stripe in league games, Mountain West foes are an eye-popping 177-of-241, making nearly 1.5 times as many free throws than the Aztecs have even attempted.
In fact, San Diego State has been held to single-digit attempts in 4-of-10 games while opponents have taken more than 20 in 3-of-10 contests. The Aztecs took a season-low two last week at home against Wyoming.
Spreading The Wealth
San Diego State has had eight players score in double digits this season. Claire Swinbank leads the way with 15 double-figure scoring games followed by Atim Otii with 14. Jamey Cox and Ashonda Williams each have 10, with Morgan Vargas and Valencia Howard adding three each, Missy Schomaker two and Tanisha Knight one.
The Best Offense Is...
San Diego State has held 10 of its last 15 opponents, including 5-of-10 in conference, below 60 points, winning six of the 10 games. In fact, just four opponents this season have managed to crack the 70-point barrier.
The Aztecs lost for the just the second time this season when holding an opponent below 60 points against New Mexico, 58-49. It was the second time in three games that the Aztecs had been defeated by that score.
The previous week at No. 20 Colorado State, the Aztecs held the Rams without a 3-point field goals in a tough, 58-49 loss.
San Diego State also lost to UNLV, 57-49, and Wyoming 53-43. Playing strong defense has been one of the big keys to victory over the past two seasons for SDSU, which is 27-10 (.730) during that span when holding an opponent under 60 points.
Offense Looking Up
It's no secret that San Diego State has struggled on the offensive end since the start of conference play. However, things may be looking up. The Aztecs shot a conference season-best 44 percent against No. 15 Colorado State last week leading to a conference season-high 60 points. It is the first time SDSU has reached 60 points in a game since scoring 73 in a 73-51 victory over Portland State in its final non-league game.
Close Games No Friend Of Aztecs
San Diego State is just 9-14 this season. However, the Aztecs record could easily be reversed. SDSU is 4-7 in games decided by 10 or fewer points, including a 1-5 mark in league play. San Diego State has lost five in a row, including its last three by 10 or fewer points. Since the start of conference play, the Aztecs have dropped five decisions by 10 or fewer points.
Ironwoman
San Diego State senior Atim Otii made her 78th consecutive start against Colorado State last week.
She is the only Aztec to start every game over the past two-plus seasons.
Michelle Suman owns SDSU's career record for consecutive starts with 118.
Swinbank Making Bid For All-MWC Honors
San Diego State's hottest player over the last 14 games has been Claire Swinbank. Below is a quick look at the senior's performance over the last month and a half.
* Since the start of conference play, Swinbank has taken over as San Diego State's leading scorer, averaging 11.9 points per game.
* Swinbank, a 6.8 ppg scorer for her career, has averaged 13.1 ppg since the start of conference play, the eighth-best total in the league.
* The senior has scored in double figures 11 times in the last 14 games, leading the Aztecs in scoring nine times over that span.
* Swinbank is averaging 5.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game over the 14-game span.
* One of the top defensive players in the Mountain West Conference, Swinbank has notched 33 steals in the last 14 games, an average of 2.4 per game.
More 'Bank Shots
By scoring in double digits in 11 of the last 14 games, Claire Swinbank has now reached double figures in 15-of-23 outings this season and has taken over as SDSU's leading scorer with 11.9 ppg.
The senior was also prominent in the Mountain West Conference rankings this week and ranks No. 11 in scoring, No. 5 in assists, No. 3 in steals and No. 4 in assist-to-turnover ratio. Since the start of MWC play, she has been ever more impressive and ranks No. 8 in scoring, No. 9 in rebounding, No. 5 in assists, No. 5 in free throw percentage, No. 2 in steals, and No. 9 in assist-to-turnover ratio during SDSU's 10 MWC games.
Atim The Dream
Atim Otii continues to be one of the Mountain West's hottest shooters and enters the week ranked No. 12 in the league in field goal percentage. Though she has only paced San Diego State on the scoreboard three times this season, Otii is second on the Aztecs in double-figure scoring games with 14, including 12 points at BYU.
Steals From The Post
Most post players aren't know for their quick hands, but SDSU's Atim Otii is changing that notion of late. The senior ranks eighth in the Mountain West in thefts since the start of conference play, averaging just under two per game, including four games with at least three picks.
Crashing the Offensive Glass
Atim Otii may lead the Aztecs in rebounding with a solid 6.2 rebounds per game. But when you look inside the numbers the senior's totals become even more impressive. Through 23 games, nearly half of Otii's rebounds (68-of-142) have come on the offensive glass. Her 3.00 offensive rebounds per game average entering the week ranks fourth in the Mountain West Conference, while her overall rebounding total is eighth.
Double Plays
In addition to being the Aztecs' second leading scorer, Otii also leads the team in rebounding (6.2 rpg) and in double-doubles (3). The senior recorded double-double No. 3 of the season at Creighton with 12 points and a career-tying-best of 12 rebounds. Otii has also recorded double-doubles versus Cal Poly (16-10) and Navy (17-11).
More Than Ever Before
Otii entered 2001-02 with two career double-doubles. She has already exceeded that number this season alone and now owns five for her career. She is the only Aztec to post a double-double this year.
3-Point Threat
Jamey Cox continues to show why she is considered one of the Mountain West's most dangerous players from beyond the arc. Cox, who has connected on 33 percent (41-for-124) of her 3-point attempts this season, has hit at least one three in 21-of-23 games on the year. Cox enters the week ranked No. 12 in the Mountain West Conference in 3-point shooting but fifth in 3-pointers made per game. She has now made 160 treys during her two-plus year career at SDSU to rank No. 2 all time in that category behind two-time honorable mention All-American Falisha Wright, who knocked down 206 triples from 1992-95.
Cox, Swinbank Continue To Dish The Rock
Jamey Cox and Claire Swinbank continue to rank among the conference's leaders in assists. Cox has had at least six assists in 11-of-23 games this year, including a season-high eight against both Radford and UNLV. She now has 100 (4.4 apg) assists this season to rank No. 3 in the Mountain West Conference. Swinbank, who has 99 on the year, has had at least four assists in 12 of the last 16 games. She is ranked No. 5 in the MWC at the start of the week with 4.3 apg.
Bombs Away
For two years, the Aztecs have been looking for an outside shooter to compliment Jamey Cox. It appears that search is now over as newcomer Ashonda Williams continues to knock down shot after shot from beyond the arc.
Williams, who led the California state JC ranks in three-point shooting last season, has been more than solid since arriving at SDSU and enters the week ranked 12th in the Mountain West Conference in 3-point shooting at 34.0 percent.
The junior opened the UNLV contest with three straight triples and tied a career-high with four for the game. She now trails only Jamey Cox in 3-pointers made with 31 this season, a figure that ranks 10th in the Mountain West Conference.
Williams Going To The Glass
Though Ashonda Williams' scoring totals have dipped since the start of Mountain West play, the junior's rebounding totals have skyrocketed. Williams averaged just 3.8 rebounds during SDSU's non-league schedule, but since the start of conference action has gone hard to the glass and is averaging 5.1 boards, including eight-rebound performances at UNLV and Utah. Her rebounding in conference play has moved her into the team's No. 2 position with 4.4 rebounds per game on the season.