Men's Basketball

Aztecs Take Three-Game Road Winning Streak into Saturday's MWC Opener

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Jan. 10, 2003

San Diego State (9-4) at Air Force (9-4)

Saturday, January 11, 2003 4:05 p.m. MST (announced) Clune Arena (6,002) US Air Force Academy, Colo.

Tip Time: Tip time is set for 4:05 p.m. MST
Television: None.
Radio: XTRA 690-AM. Jim Stone (play-by-play), Mike McGregor (producer).

SDSU Coach Steve Fisher: Fisher (Illinois State '67) is in his fourth season at San Diego State with a record of 49-53. Now in his 12th full season as a head coach, he has amassed a 233-135 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, he led the Aztecs to a 21-12 mark last year en route to the NCAA Tournament. Fisher has helped the Aztecs increase their win total in each of his first three seasons (from 4-to-5-to-14-to-21).

Air Force Coach Joe Scott: In his third season heading the Falcons program, Scott (Princeton '87) holds a career and Air Force head coaching record of 25-44. An eight-year assistant at his alma mater under Hall-of-Famer Pete Carril, Scott has guided the Falcons to as many wins (9) in 13 games prior to conference play this season as Air Force had in either of the last two full seasons (8-21 in 2000-01 and 9-19 in 2001-02).

The Series: San Diego State and Air Force are meeting for 47th time, with the Aztecs holding a 33-13 advantage overall but a 3-3 mark in Mountain West Conference play. At the Air Force Academy, SDSU has won 13 of 21 games, including a 1-2 mark in the MWC. The teams split their two conference meetings last season, with the Falcons claiming a 67-54 win at home and the Aztecs defending their home court, 49-47.

The Tickets: Tickets can be purchased through the Falcons' online ticket office at www.airforcesports.com. Ticket prices are $9 for adults and $5 for youth.

Aztecs Take Three-Game Road Wining Streak into Saturday's MWC Opener
San Diego State (9-4), concludes a stretch of six games in 15 days when it opens the 2003 Mountain West Conference season on Saturday afternoon at Air Force (9-4).

Game time is set for 4 p.m. MST (3 p.m. PST) and the game can be heard along the West coast on XTRA-AM 690 (San Diego). This marks the final Aztec game on the regular season schedule that will not be televised.

The Aztecs won a Division I era school-record ninth consecutive game against an unranked opponent on Wednesday night, defeating crosstown rival San Diego, 78-72. The six-point margin is a little misleading, as San Diego State led the final 34:21 of the game and enjoyed two 17-point second-half advantages before settling for the final score. Senior guard Tony Bland scored 17 points, tied a season-high with eight assists and added six rebounds to pace the Aztecs.

San Diego State, which has won nine of its last 11 games overall, also carries a three-game road winning streak into the contest, with victories at Cal Poly, Long Beach State and Houston in their last three road tests. The streak is the longest for SDSU since winning three straight road games during the 1997-98 campaign.

Air Force is also 9-4 and has won four straight games following a 56-33 drubbing of Savannah State on Monday. The Academy, which leads the nation in scoring defense (52.8) and ranks second in three-point field goals made per game (10.2) is 6-0 at home this season marking the first time the Falcons have won their first six home contests in 10 seasons.

Saturday will mark the 47th meeting between the teams with San Diego State owning a 33-13 advantage. The teams have split their six encounters in Mountain West Conference play. The Aztecs are 13-8 lifetime in games played at the USAFA.

Streaks, Storylines and Sidebars

  • San Diego State enters the conference opener having won nine straight games against unranked teams. It is the first time in the school's Division I era (beginning in 1970-71) that the Aztecs have done that in one season and just the second time overall. San Diego State claimed nine straight from March 3-Dec. 22, 1984 (final game of the 1983-84 season and the first eight of the 1984-85 campaign) covering a span of two seasons. The Aztecs have never won 10 straight against unranked foes.
  • Saturday could be a milestone day for San Diego State head coach Steve Fisher. Fisher, currently in his fourth season at San Diego State, will be going for victory number 50 at SDSU. He is also looking for his 100th conference victory. Fisher claimed 88 Big Ten Conference victories in eight full seasons at Michigan and has won 11 Mountain West Conference games at San Diego State.
  • San Diego State, which has won three straight road games for the first time since the 1997-98 campaign, will be looking for its fourth consecutive road victory. That is something no SDSU team has accomplished since the Aztecs won a Division I school-record six straight road games from Nov. 29, 1984 to Jan. 18, 1985. If the Aztecs win, the four consecutive victories would tie for the second longest road win streak of the Division I era.
  • For the second consecutive season, the Aztecs are 9-4 after the first 13 games. Last season, the Aztecs won the next game to improve to 10-4 before dropping the next two. In 2001-02, the Aztecs finished the campaign with a 21-12 record, a Mountain West Conference tournament championship and a berth in the NCAA tournament.
  • This game is involved in two odd scheduling quirks for San Diego State. First, this is the final contest in a stretch of six games in 15 days for San Diego State, by far the busiest two-week stretch for the Aztecs this season. Second, this is the only road game in a 35-day period for San Diego State. The Aztecs, which last played on the road on Dec. 21 at Houston, will not play another road contest until Jan. 25 at New Mexico. This is the lone road game in a stretch that has San Diego State playing eight of nine games at home.
  • In limiting San Diego to 39.3 percent shooting in Wednesday night's victory, the Aztecs held an opponent below 40 percent from the field for the sixth time in the last 11 games.
  • The number 60 should be an important figure for the Aztecs on Saturday. SDSU has won 14 of the last 15 meetings, dating to the 1990-91 season, in which it scored at least 60 points against the Falcons. Conversely, the Falcons are 8-0 this season when holding the opposition to fewer than 60 points. And on that same statistic, the Aztecs have won their last 13 games in which they held the opposing side to less than 60 points. Fisher coached teams are 52-4 when the opposition scores 60 points or less in the game.
  • The Aztecs are looking to snap a five-game losing streak in conference openers. San Diego State's last conference-opening WAC win was a 74-70 home victory over Texas-El Paso on Jan. 4, 1997. The Aztecs have dropped their last 11 initial conference road games dating back to a 52-48 win over Air Force on Jan. 10, 1991. San Diego State has not opened league play with a road victory since beginning the 1984-85 WAC campaign with a 60-57 victory at Wyoming on Jan. 3, 1985. That squad finished 23-8 and advanced to the NCAA tournament.

SDSU Wins City Showdown 78-72 Over USD
SAN DIEGO - The 2002-03 edition of the city showdown went to San Diego State, which jumped out to a 17-point lead and held on down the stretch to defeat San Diego, 78-72.

In winning their ninth straight game over unranked opponents in a season for the first time since moving to Division I prior to the 1970-71 season, the Aztecs snapped a four-game losing streak against their crosstown rival. SDSU caps off the non-conference season with a victory for the third straight season and improves to 9-4 against non-MWC opponents, a record that keeps pace with the start of last season's NCAA Tournament team after 13 games.

The Toreros jumped out to an 8-2 lead after the first two minutes, 32 seconds, but the Aztecs ran off the next nine points to take a lead they would never relinquish. And despite going without a field goal for a 7:41stretch of the first half, the Aztecs held on to their seven-point lead as they forced USD into 26.7 percent shooting (8-of-30) in the first half.

The lead was cut to four before SDSU went on a 21-8 run over a 5:42 span early in the second half to take a 17-point lead. The Aztecs converted five three-pointers over that stretch, including three in a little over three minutes by Steve Sir, to take command.

USD trailed by 10 with a just over one minute left and whittled SDSU's lead down to four over the next 34 seconds, but the Toreros could not get another shot off and suffered their fourth straight loss.

On the strength of combined 10-of-12 shooting from the frontcourt tandem of Aerick Sanders and Mike Mackell, the Aztecs shot a season-best 49.1 percent (26-of-53) from the floor. Conversely, SDSU harassed USD into a season-low 22 first-half points in holding their sixth opponent to sub-40 percent shooting.

Tony Bland led the Aztecs with 17 points and eight assists, while Mike Mackell added 15. Aerick Sanders scored in double-digits for the fifth time in his career with 11 points, while Evan Burns came off the bench to tally nine points and seven rebounds in a career-high 26 minutes.

Roy Morris led the Toreros with 22 points on 8-of-11 field goals. Subtract Morris from the box score and the Aztecs would have held USD to 16-of-50 shooting (32 percent).

NOTES OF THE GAME: SDSU recovered from a five-rebound deficit at the half to out-rebound its opponent, 38-37, for the 10th time in 13 games this season... Travis Hanour made his first career start and pulled down a career-high six rebounds in 20 minutes... Chris Manker made his first SDSU start and registered three three-pointers... The game was the 100th of senior Deandre Moore's career.

San Diego State - Air Force: The Series

  • San Diego State and Air Force open the Mountain West Conference season by renewing their rivalry for the 47th time. SDSU holds an all-time record of 33-13 against the Falcons, including a 13-8 advantage at USAFA.
  • SDSU and AFA have split their six MWC meetings after each won at home last season. The Falcons swept the season series as the Aztecs went 0-14 in the initial Mountain West season, and SDSU gained two of its four conference wins in 2000-01against Air Force. Going back to WAC play, the Aztecs have won 30 of 42 games in regular season conference play vs. Air Force.
  • Going back to the 1990-91 season over 24 meetings, SDSU has won all but one game against Air Force in which it scored 60 or more points. SDSU is 18-6 overall over that span, including a 14-1 record when scoring 60 or more. The only loss came in triple overtime on Jan. 20, 2000, in the teams' first meeting as members of the Mountain West Conference.
  • Last season was only the second time in the past 11 seasons in which SDSU and Air Force competed in a conference together that the teams split the season series. Of the nine series sweeps over that span, the Aztecs recorded seven.

San Diego State Players vs. Air Force - Then & Now
SDSU's loss to Air Force in the teams' first meeting last season came at the end of the Aztecs' first trip through the Mountain West. The defeat dropped SDSU to 2-5 in the MWC, and following a loss to Utah in the next conference game, the Aztecs were 2-6. Since those back-to-back losses to Air Force and Utah (which coincidentally are the Aztecs' first two MWC foes this year), San Diego State has won 8-of-9 against MWC foes (5-1 in regular season play and three in a row at the conference tournament), including a win over the Falcons in the 2001-02 regular season finale, and 17-of-23 overall.

A lot has changed for the fortunes of SDSU and its players since those losses to Air Force and Utah.

  • Senior guard Tony Bland
    Then: Coming into the game with a 17.4 scoring average over his first 21 Aztec contests, Bland was limited to 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting Now: Bland's scoring average dipped to 14.1 in the contest since last year's first Air Force game, as Randy Holcomb and Al Faux provided the scoring punch down the stretch last season and Mike Mackell has shouldered much of the load this season. However, Bland has become more of a complete player since that time as his rebound average has improved from 3.3 before the first Air Force game last season to 4.4 since.
  • Sophomore guard Tommy Johnson
    Then: Johnson appeared for only nine minutes in eight conference games last season. After playing one minute in the game at Air Force last season, he played only two more minutes over two games for the rest of the season as SDSU was involved in several closely contested conference games with a tightened rotation.
    Now: A spectator for nearly all of last season's spectacular run to the NCAA Tournament, the now-sophomore guard has become one of the Aztecs' most valuable contributors on the defensive end as well as providing a spark offensively. After serving as sixth man for the first six games of the season, Johnson has moved into the starting lineup for six of the last seven games. In playing 115 more minutes in 12 games (235) than he did all of last season in 20 games (120), Johnson has more than tripled many of his per game averages from a year ago.

Johnson's Averages 2001-02 2002-03Minutes 6.0 19.6Points 1.5 6.4Rebounds 0.9 3.0Assists 0.4 2.3Steals 0.2 0.8

  • Senior center Mike Mackell
    Then: Mackell completed an impressive first run through the Mountain West in the game at Air Force last season. With his 17-point effort against the Falcons on Feb. 4, the junior college transfer had tallied at least 12 points in each of his first seven MWC games.
    Now: The second run through the conference was not as successful for Mackell, who after scoring 15.9 points per game over the first seven MWC contests dipped to 8.0 for the next seven. But he came up strong offensively in scoring 41 points over the Aztecs' three-win MWC Tournament and is averaging a team-high 16.2 points per game entering 2003 conference play.
  • Senior guard Deandre Moore
    Then: Moore was starting for the third straight game in a stretch of starting 12 of the final 14 games last season. He produced five points and three assists against one turnover in a game the Aztecs lost 67-54 to the Falcons.
    Now: His return to the starting lineup has coincided with SDSU's impressive run over the past 11-plus months. Starting with the Jan. 29, 2002, Houston game in which Moore started after coming off the bench in the previous 12, the Compton, Calif., native has earned a starting nod in 25 of the Aztecs' last 27 games and stabilized the SDSU offense from the point guard position. Over that 27-game span, SDSU has won at a 70.4 percent clip (19-8), including an 18-7 mark (72 percent) with Moore in the starting lineup.
  • Junior forward Aerick Sanders
    Then: Sanders has not had much luck when the conference match-ups with Air Force have come around. He was injured and missed both meetings during the 2000-01 season, then played only a total of nine minutes and grabbed a pair of rebounds in the two games last year. He will be looking for his first career points against the Falcons on Saturday.
    Now: Following a sophomore season where he served as an energy player and defensive specialist in averaging 10.9 minutes, Sanders has started all 13 games in 2002-03 and is the MWC's top rebounder at 9.1 boards per game. While more than doubling his minutes from a year ago at 26.8 per game, the Carson, Calif., native is supplying that relentless energy for longer stretches in leading the MWC in offensive rebounding at 3.9 per game while standing in a tie for fifth with 1.2 blocks per game. Sanders' rebounding per 40 minutes in 2002-03 would translate to 13.5 boards, including 5.9 offensive rebounds per game.

Last Year's Meetings

  • San Diego State 49, Air Force 47
    March 2, 2002 (Cox Arena - San Diego, Calif.)
    SAN DIEGO -- Al Faux banked in a short driving jumper with 2.6 seconds left to lift San Diego State to a 49-47 win over Air Force on March 2.

Randy Holcomb scored 12 points to lead the Aztecs, who held their breath as Marc Holum's desperation half-court attempt for Air Force hit the back rim at the buzzer.

Tony Bland added 11 points for San Diego State, which earned the fifth seed in the Mountain West Conference tournament.

Tim Keller and Lamoni Yazzie added 10 points apiece for Air Force.

The Aztecs led 24-19 after the first half, but Air Force fought back in the second to take a 39-38 lead on a three-point play by Keller, who drove the lane for a layup and picked up a foul with 7:58 left.

The game stayed tight down the stretch, with the Falcons up 44-41 with 2:44 to play. The Aztecs then scored six straight, capped by a Holcomb layup with 46 seconds left to give San Diego State a 47-44 lead.

Yazzie hit a three-pointer with 25.6 remaining to tie the game for the Falcons, who shot 44 percent from the field compared to 39 percent for the Aztecs. The Aztecs then ran down the clock for Faux's game winner.

With the win, the Aztecs improved to 7-7 in league play, marking the first time SDSU finished .500 in conference action since the 1984-85 team finished second in the WAC with an 11-5 mark. In the previous 15 seasons, the Aztecs averaged 3.9 league wins.

  • Air Force 67, San Diego State 54
    Feb. 4, 2002 (Clune Arena - US Air Force Academy)
    COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Air Force held San Diego State to just 37.8 percent shooting and forced 19 turnovers as the Falcons defeated the Aztecs 67-54 at Clune Arena on February 4.

The Falcons led the Aztecs for all but 17 seconds of the game.

Air Force led 9-0 and 11-2, holding San Diego State without a field goal for the first 5:40 of the contest. The Aztecs capped a 13-2 run with a Brandon Smith dunk to take their only lead of the game at 15-13 with 11:10 remaining in the first half.

The Falcons led by as many as 15 points in the second half, but the Aztecs went on a 9-0 run to close to within six points with 6:19 to play. San Diego State again closed to within six points with 1:17 to play, but Air Force ended the game on a 13-6 run to provide the final margin of victory.

For the first time in his career, Mike Mackell led San Diego State in scoring with 17 points. He also added nine rebounds, tying his career high.

Tony Bland and Al Faux each added 10 points for the Aztecs. Senior Randy Holcomb, who was held to just six points, passed the 1,000-point plateau for his college career.

Air Force senior guard Lamoni Yazzie had 18 points, including three three-pointers, to lead the Falcons.

NOTE OF THE GAME: San Diego State set season lows for points (54), field goals (17), assists (6), and field goal percentage for a half (30.0).

About Air Force
At 9-4 after non-conference play, third-year head coach Joe Scott has his Falcons team matching the Air Force Academy's best start since the 1961-62 team won 10 of its first 13. While the competition has been less than stellar - the best win coming over CBS Sportline RPI No. 192 Belmont - the Falcons have registered their best-ever record against Division I opponents after 13 games (9-4) and reached program-high levels in the Sagarin ratings (No. 70) and RPI (No. 153) on Dec. 16.

Scott, a disciple of Hall-of-Famer Pete Carril as a player and an eight-year assistant at Princeton, has brought his alma mater's offensive scheme to the altitude of Colorado Springs where he has the Falcons shooting (and making) three-pointers at a record pace. The Falcons stand second in the nation in three-point field goals per game at 10.2 and are outscoring their opposition from three-point range by an average of 18 points per game.

In living and dying by the three-pointer, the Falcons, with five players 6-7 or taller, are averaging just 22.8 rebounds per game and have been out-rebounded by an average of margin of 7.6 boards per game. Despite ranking fifth in the nation in three-point field-goal percentage at .443 and ninth in overall field goal percentage at .511, Air Force is shooting just 59.8 percent from the free-throw line.

On the defensive end, the Falcons lead the NCAA in scoring defense, allowing just 52.8 points per game. They are coming off a 33-point defensive effort against Savannah State, the fourth straight game Air Force has held an opponent under 50 points during a four-game winning streak. The Falcons are now 6-0 at home against Division I opponents for the first time in school history after winning the first three games of their current four-game homestand that concludes with SDSU.

Sophomore guard Tim Keller leads the MWC with 3.5 three-point field goals per game and averages a team-high 15.2 points per game. The top rebounder is 6-7 senior forward/center Tom Bellairs at 4.7 per game, while senior guard Vernard Jenkins has overtaken SDSU's Tony Bland as the conference leader in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.12.

School-Record Success Against Non-Ranked Foes
With Wednesday's 78-72 victory over San Diego in the city showdown, San Diego State has won nine consecutive games vs. non-ranked opponents in the same season for the first time since moving to Division I prior to the 1970-71 season. It matches the longest such streak in school history, equaling the run from March 3-Dec. 22, 1984 (final game of the 1983-84 season and the first eight of the 1984-85 campaign).

Below is a look at the longest in-season win streaks vs. unranked foes in Aztec history.

Longest Winning Streaks vs. Non-Ranked Opponents/Div. I SeasonRk. Season (W-L) Wins Ended By1. 2002-03 (8-4) 9 - 1984-85 (23-8) 8 Texas Christian3. 1982-83 (18-10) 7 Arizona 1981-82 (20-9) 7 UTEP 1977-78 (19-9) 7 CS Fullerton 1971-72 (18-10) 7 Oregon State7. 2000-01 (14-14) 6 New Mexico 1981-82 (20-9) 6 UNLVRecord Attendance Pace
Through eight home games, SDSU is on a record pace for average season attendance. The Aztecs are playing before an average home crowd of 7,284, which at the current pace would easily surpass the record average of 6,165 fans that viewed Cox Arena games last season. Should this trend continue, Aztec teams under Steve Fisher would own three of the top five season attendance marks in SDSU history. Largest Average Home AttendanceRk. Year HG W-L Total Average1. 2002-03 9 6-3 65,557 7,2842. 2001-02 15 12-3 92,475 6,1653. 1981-82 18 16-2 86,825 4,8244. 1980-81 14 9-5 67,011 4,7875. 2000-01 17 12-5 77,104 4,528Bold - Indicates Fisher era.

Monday night's crowd, the seventh-largest ever in Cox Arena at 8,078 spectators, marks the fourth game to break into SDSU's top 16 single-game Cox Arena attendance chart this season. The Aztecs have played before the first two sellout crowds of 12,414 in the six-year history of Cox Arena - against then-No. 1/1 Arizona (Dec. 7) and No. 23/21 Texas Tech (Jan. 6) - as well as the 13th- and 15th-largest Cox Arena crowds against Eastern Washington (6,183) and Hawai'i (6,138), respectively.

Largest Cox Arena AttendanceRk. Att. Day Opponent Date Result1. 12,414^ Sat. (1/1) Arizona 12-7-02 L, 81-89 12,414^ Mon. (23/21) Tx Tech 1-6-03 L, 63-753. 11,764 Sat. UNLV* 1-26-02 L, 79-80 (ot)4. 11,334 Sat. Fresno State* 1-31-98 L, 94-975. 8,438 Sat. (21/16) Fresno 12-8-01 W, 93-786. 8,186 Sat. San Diego 12-9-00 L, 52-557. 8,078 Wed. San Diego 1-8-02 W, 78-728. 7,232 Sat. Utah* (D) 2-9-02 L, 53-709. 7,164 Sat. Utah* 2-10-01 L, 63-7610. 6,967 Sat. Air Force* 3-2-02 W, 49-4711. 6,739 Mon. New Mexico* 1-8-01 L, 67-7512. 6,553 Sat. Colorado State* 1-19-02 W, 81-6913. 6,183 Sat. Eastern Wash. 11-23-02L, 70-7514. 6,171 Mon. Wyoming* 1-21-02 L, 85-88 (ot)15. 6,164 Sat. Utah* 1-16-99 L, 53-7916. 6,138 Sat. Hawai'i 12-14-02W, 60-49Opponent Associated Press/USA Todaycoaches poll national ranking at gametime left of team name. D - Indicatesday game. * - Indicates conference game.^ - Indicates Cox Arena capacity

Senior Dominant
San Diego State's senior class of Tony Bland, Mike Mackell and Deandre Moore held the shorthanded Aztecs together early in the season when SDSU was thin on reserves. Through the first four games of the season, the trio averaged 46.3 points, accounted for nearly 60.1 percent of San Diego State's scoring, and also combined for 17.0 rebounds and 10.8 assists per game. As a testament to the seniors' importance, the triumvirate was the main reason the Aztecs rallied from behind to defeat Cal Poly on Nov. 30 by accounting for 26 of the Aztecs' 31 second-half points.

Below is a look at what the three seniors have accomplished in each game this season.

Aztec SeniorsOpponent MP FG 3FG FT R F A TO B S TPEWU 103 15-36 2-11 11-13 15 11 6 8 0 1 43at UP 98 13-33 4-9 16-25 21 13 14 14 0 3 46at CP 109 18-41 3-6 13-20 20 5 8 5 2 5 52UCSD 81 16-31 7-12 5-8 12 3 15 4 0 2 44Arizona 95 19-37 4-9 5-7 15 10 9 9 0 5 47at LBSU 99 13-25 2-3 5-7 10 9 7 9 0 2 33Hawai'i 98 14-28 2-2 11-15 11 5 7 8 1 5 41at UH 87 13-26 2-8 11-15 9 5 7 8 0 6 39FAU 80 11-23 0-5 12-21 11 4 16 5 0 5 34IPFW 73 11-23 0-4 4-6 8 2 11 5 1 2 26LMU 89 15-30 0-4 14-18 3 7 8 6 1 2 44Tx Tech 73 14-32 2-7 2-5 9 7 6 13 0 2 32USD 81 12-24 1-3 11-21 9 7 12 10 1 0 36

Bench Points
However, when the Aztec roster received reinforcements beginning with the Dec. 7 Arizona game, the SDSU bench has stepped up its productivity and relieved some the scoring slack from the seniors and starting five. Through the first four games of the season, the Aztec bench had accounted for only 48 of the Aztecs' 308 points (15.6 percent), an average of 12 points per game. Since freshman Evan Burns (NCAA Initial Eligibility Waiver Committee ruling) and sophomore Chris Manker (NCAA 4-2-4 transfer rule) became eligible for the Arizona game and sophomore Travis Hanour (NCAA 4-2-4 transfer rule) joined the fold against Hawai'i, the Aztec reserves more than doubled their production by averaging 24.7 points per game (33.2 percent of SDSU's scoring) over the past nine contests.

The following is a look at SDSU's bench production in each game this season as well as its averages over the first four games of the season and the last nine contests.

First Four GamesOpponent MP FG 3FG FT R F A TO B S TPEWU 36 4-6 0-1 2-5 1 6 4 1 0 2 10at UP 52+ 6-12 2-6 3-5 11 15 5 6 0 1 17at CP 45 1-12 0-3 2-2 7 4 6 3 0 2 4UCSD 64 6-17 3-11 2-3 11 5 5 5 0 1 17Avg/Pct 49.3 .362 .238 .600 7.5 7.5 5.0 3.8 0 1.5 12.0
Last Nine GamesOpponent MP FG 3FG FT R F A TO B S TPArizona 58 9-22 2-9 1-2 10 9 9 5 2 2 21at LBSU 65 7-19 4-10 7-9 14 7 2 5 1 3 25Hawai'i 50 4-14 1-4 2-4 8 6 3 3 2 3 11at UH 57 5-17 3-10 0-2 10 5 4 3 1 0 13FAU 72 14-31 4-13 11-15 12 8 1 10 2 5 43IPFW 91 10-23 7-15 6-11 17 10 7 8 1 3 33LMU 58+ 8-13 2-5 2-2 14 5 3 2 4 5 20Tx Tech 76 9-19 4-11 0-1 11 9 5 6 1 2 22USD 78 12-25 3-7 7-12 12 15 3 4 1 1 34Avg/Pct 67.2 .426 .357 .620 12.0 8.2 4.1 5.1 1.7 2.7 24.7

Aerick the Great
Forward Aerick Sanders got his junior campaign off to a fast start but has been even better of late, posting 11 or more rebounds in five of the last nine games. Over that span, he has grabbed a total of 90 rebounds for an average of 10.0 per game.

Sanders was an impressive presence in the post against Houston Dec. 21, as he recorded his first career double-double with career-bests in points (12) and rebounds (14) as well as a career-high four assists.

Sanders is averaging a Mountain West-best 9.1 rebounds per game this season, including 3.9 offensive rebounds, as well as the conference's fifth-most blocks at 1.2 per contest.

The 40 minutes of action for Sanders against Eastern Washington was not only a career-high, but was more court time than the junior saw in any two games last season (last season's high was 20 minutes, with his previous career mark of 24 minutes set during his freshman campaign).

Last season, Sanders blocked 29 shots to rank seventh in the Mountain West Conference, and just missed cracking the school's all-time top-10 list.

He has blocked at least one shot in nine of 13 games and currently stands eighth on SDSU's career blocks list with 59.

Most Blocked Shots/CareerPl. Name, Years Blocked Shots To Tie1. Leonard Allen, 1982-85 2142. Michael Cage, 1981-84 1183. Joe McNaull, 1991-93 1144. Marcelo Correa, 1997-01 100 415. Rodney Hawkins, 1987-88 77 186. Eddy Gordon, 1980-83 71 127. Marty Dow, 1990-91 68 98. Aerick Sanders, 2001-02 599. Leon Carter, 1995-96 5810. Marc Carter, 1994-95 55

The Freshmen
Although the Aztecs' senior class of Tony Bland, Mike Mackell and Deandre Moore grab most of the headlines, San Diego State's 2002-03 team is comprised of a lot of youth.

Of the nine players that saw action in each of the four games this season, four were freshmen - Trimaine Davis, John Sharper, Steve Sir and Markee White (one other was a sophomore - Tommy Johnson). Additionally, freshman Evan Burns and sophomore Chris Manker debuted against Arizona and against Hawai'i sophomore Travis Hanour joined the mix. The three have received significant minutes even as they adjust to game action.

The five freshmen have combined to play 609 minutes this season (46.8 minutes per game), and have scored 198 points (16.7 points per game) while adding 93 rebounds (7.2 rebounds per game) and 35 assists (2.7 assists per game).

Below is a quick look at how the newest Aztecs performed.

  • STEVE SIR, a redshirt freshman, started the first six games of the season. He connected on 3-of-6 three-pointers Wednesday against USD for his most since a career-best six threes on Dec. 2 against UCSD. He has a team-high total of 26 three-point field goals and was a perfect 9-for-9 from the free-throw line before missing his only attempt against USD. The sharp-shooter from Minnesota, who made at least two treys in each of his first five games, boasts the MWC's 10th-best three-point percentage at .400 and is SDSU's fifth-leading scorer at 7.2 points per game.
  • EVAN BURNS, one of two true freshmen on the SDSU roster, produced his breakout game of the season against Florida Atlantic Dec. 28. In only his fifth collegiate appearance, Burns produced 21 points, four offensive rebounds and four steals in only 18 minutes of action. He shot 7-of-11 from the field and 7-of-8 from the free-throw line in becoming the only Aztec to surpass the 20-point mark in a game in his freshman season. He has since followed up with 10, 10, two and nine points for an average of 10.4 points over the last five games. He registered his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds vs. Loyola Marymount in scoring in double-figures for three straight games, a career first.
    Despite reaching only 20 minutes three times in nine games and being held scoreless against Hawai'i, Burns is the squad's fourth-leading scorer at 8.1 points per game. His stats averaged over 40 minutes per game translate to 18.9 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 3.6 steals.
  • JOHN SHARPER, a walk-on freshman, has played 105 minutes including several at the point guard position. Sharper has looked solid handling the ball and has committed just five turnovers in 105 minutes of action, including a career-high turnover-free 16 minutes against LMU largely spent spelling a foul-troubled Moore. He grabbed a career-high five rebounds in 12 minutes and contributed a three-pointer to SDSU's record-setting barrage of 16 treys against UCSD, and his three-pointer capped the Aztecs' game-breaking 20-6 run in the win at Long Beach. He set his career high with eight points and hit two three-point field goals in a game for the first time against Florida Atlantic. Of his 17 field goal attempts, 15 have come from three-point range, and his .467 three-point field goal percentage tops the team.
  • TRIMAINE DAVIS, a redshirt freshman, had appeared in all 12 games this season before the USD contest and accumulated 25 points and 16 rebounds in 115 minutes of action. He is averaging 9.6 minutes per contest. Davis, who made all 15 of his shots during the preseason, went 3-for-3 from the floor in scoring a career-high six points against UCSD.
  • MARKEE WHITE, a redshirt freshman, has seen action in six games this season and scored the first points of his collegiate career on a pair of free throws against UCSD.

Moore is Better
Healthy for the first time since becoming an Aztec, Deandre Moore has overcome previous season injuries such as a separated shoulder and shin splints to participate in every practice this season.

That, coupled with a rigorous off-season workout schedule, has the Aztec point guard 16 pounds lighter than a season ago and playing some of the best basketball of his career.

Moore is averaging a career-high 8.2 points through 13 games this season while dispensing an average of 4.8 assists. He has also been perhaps the Aztecs' most indispensible player thus far, playing a total of 403 minutes for an average of 31.0 per contest.

The Compton, Calif., native produced his best game of the season to date against the best competition. Against top-ranked Arizona Dec. 7, Moore scored 16 points and dished out eight assists while limiting preseason Wooden Award candidate Jason Gardner to nine points on 1-of-10 shooting.

Moore has played 35 or more minutes in five games in 2002. Last season, due to nagging injuries, Moore logged 35 minutes in only three of 33 games.

The senior guard broke the 300-assist barrier for his career against Portland and the Vanderbilt transfer entered the Aztecs' career top-10 list against Arizona. He has since moved into seventh place with 280 assists as an Aztec.

Most Assists/CareerPl. Name, Years Assists To Tie1. Tony Gwynn, 1978-81 5902. Chad Nelson, 1994-97 4123. Mark Delsman, 1974-77 3764. Anthony Watson, 1983-86 356 765. Keith Smith, 1982-83 349 696. Dean Decker, 1977-78 307 277. Deandre Moore, 2001-02 2808. Ray Leary, 1974-75-76 2799. Mike Dodd, 1976-79 27710. Creon Dorsey, 1985-86 263

Top Two Scorers Gone, No Problem for Fisher Some might see the departure of the Aztecs' top two scoring averages from the 2001-02 season - Al Faux (17.0 ppg) and Randy Holcomb (16.9 ppg) - as a problem, but Steve Fisher has overcome scoring departures in the past to produce big seasons.

Three times in his coaching career Fisher has had his top two scorers depart, but all three times he has led his team back to the postseason the following year.

In the 1990-91 season, Fisher lost his entire starting five, including Rumeal Robinson and Terry Mills, off a squad that went 23-8 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. That season, Fisher guided his squad to the NIT.

In 1994-95, Fisher overcame the losses of Jalen Rose and Juwan Howard to put the Wolverines in the NCAA Tournament.

Most recently, in 1995-96, Fisher lost Ray Jackson and Jimmy King but still put together a 20-win season and guided Michigan to the NCAA Tournament.

The Great Turnaround
Steve Fisher and the Aztecs' journey from perennial basement dweller to NCAA Tournament team is made all the more remarkable by the speed at which the turnaround was achieved.

Just three years ago in 1999-2000, the Aztecs won only five games, and two years ago in 2000-01, San Diego State finished seventh in the conference.

As if going from 5-23 in 1999-00 to 14-14 in 2000-01 wasn't enough, in the 2001-02 season the Aztecs went 21-12 for the second-highest win total in the school's Division I history.

Other accomplishments of the 2002 NCAA Tournament team:

  • San Diego State made it to the postseason for just the fifth time in the school's 33 Division I seasons. The Aztecs advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 1975, 1976 and 1985 and to the postseason NIT in 1982, prior to participating in the Big Dance in March of 2002.
  • The RPI is one barometer that shows the program's dramatic rise. For the seven seasons from 1993-94 to 1999-00, San Diego State had an average final RPI of 190. In the 2000-01 season, the Aztecs jumped to 154 in the final RPI. In 2001-02 ,the Aztecs jumped more than 100 positions in the ratings and ended the regular season at number 39 in the RPI, ahead of perennial powers such as Notre Dame (41), Villanova (43), Arkansas (46), Virginia (50), UNLV (51), Missouri (54), Louisville (61), Fresno State (64), Purdue (100), North Carolina (119), Seton Hall (125) and Michigan (142).
  • With 21 victories last season, San Diego State posted its highest single-season victory total since the 1984-85 team went to the NCAA tournament and finished 23-8. This marked the third consecutive year, all under Steve Fisher, that the Aztecs bettered their win total from the previous season (4 to 5 to 14 to 21). The 21 victories are the second-highest victory total of the Division I era (beginning with the 1970-71 season) and surpasses the school's total in the previous two seasons combined.
  • The Aztecs posted consecutive .500 or better seasons for the first time since the 1983-84 and 1984-85 seasons. The Aztecs, who went 14-14 in 2000-01, were 21-12 in 2001-02. Prior to the last two seasons, SDSU went 147-280 in the 15 seasons between the two winning stretches. The Aztecs averaged 9.8 wins between the 1985-86 and the 1999-00 seasons.
  • The Aztecs finished league play with a 7-7 record, marking the first time SDSU finished .500 in conference action since the 1984-85 team claimed second in the WAC with an 11-5 mark. In the previous 15 seasons, the Aztecs averaged 3.9 league wins. After finishing no better than sixth place in a conference (Western Athletic or Mountain West) since the 1984-85 campaign and having an average finish of 7.7 in the previous 16 seasons, the Aztecs claimed a share of fourth place in the MWC in 2001-02.
  • San Diego State set a school record in the 2001-02 season in both total home attendance (92,475) and average home attendance (6,165). In 15 home games, San Diego State shattered the previous school record for highest average, set back in 1981-82 when SDSU averaged 4,824. The 2001-02 average was a 36.1 percent increase over the previous season and a remarkable 135.4 percent increase over Steve Fisher's first season (1999-2000).
  • The success on the court has generated media coverage unparalleled in the program's history. The Aztecs made a school-record 25 appearances on live television during the 2001-02 season, a marked increase over the year before Fisher's arrival, the 1998-99 campaign, when SDSU was on television nine times. In addition, San Diego State made the first two network television appearances in the program's history. In 2002-03, the SDSU regular-season schedule includes 20 live television appearances.
  • Below is a look at the Aztecs' records since the start of the 2000-01 campaign. The record on the right shows how many games it took San Diego State to win the same number of games prior to the 2000-01 season.

The Difference: Since/Before the '00-01 SeasonRecord Since BeforeRecord 44-30 44-86Conference 11-17 11-49Home Record 30-11 30-35Away/Neutral 14-19 14-64