March 7, 2003
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San Diego State (15-11/6-7) at UNLV (18-9/7-6)
Saturday, March 8, 2003
3:03 p.m. PST (announced)
Thomas & Mack Center (18,500)
Las Vegas, Nev.
Tip Time: Tip time is set for 3:03 p.m. PST. Television: The game will be televised regionally by ABC. Chris Marlowe (play-by-play), Jimmy Dykes (color), Eric Swaringen (producer). 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 55-60. Now in his 12th full season as a head coach, he has amassed a 239-142 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).
UNLV Coach Charlie Spoonhour: Coaching his second season at UNLV and 18th overall as a Div. I head coach, Spoonhour (Coll. of the Ozarks '61) holds a career head-coaching record of 358-191, including a 39-20 mark at UNLV. Spoonhour and the Rebels are looking for a second straight postseason trip and the program's first NCAA bid in three seasons.
The Series: San Diego State and UNLV will meet for the 30th time, with the Rebels having compiled a 23-6 lead in the series. UNLV has won 12 of the 14 all-time meetings in Las Vegas. The Rebels won this season's earlier meeting 79-64 in San Diego, but in their last trip to Vegas the Aztecs defeated UNLV in last season's MWC Tournament final to earn a 2002 NCAA Tournament berth.
The Tickets: Tickets are available for the game through the UNLV ticket office (702-739-FANS or unlvtickets.com). Tickets range in price from $8-26.
Aztecs Return to Site of MWC Tourney Championship; End Regular Season at UNLV
San Diego State (15-11 overall/6-7 Mountain West Conference), winner of three of its last four games, travels to the desert and the site of the school's magical 2002 Mountain West Conference championship run when the Aztecs conclude the regular season Saturday afternoon at UNLV.
Tip time is set for 3:03 p.m. PST and the game will be televised by ABC. The contest will be seen in 16 percent of the country with coverage in eight western states. Every ABC affiliate in Alaska, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon and Washington will carry the Aztecs-Rebels game. The game can be heard along the West Coast on XTRA-AM 690 (San Diego).
One year ago Sunday (March 9), the Aztecs ended a 16-year postseason drought by claiming the 2002 MWC tournament championship at the Thomas & Mack Center with a 78-75 victory over UNLV.
The Aztecs, who had been playing their best basketball of the season after recording three straight double-digit league victories for the first time since 1982, saw their three-game winning streak snapped last Monday in Fort Collins in a 102-89 loss to Colorado State.
San Diego State was led by senior guard Tony Bland's 25 points. Bland has scored 19 or more points in four consecutive games. Senior center Mike Mackell added 13 points while freshman Evan Burns recorded his third straight double-digit scoring game with 12 points.
In similar fashion, UNLV saw its three-game winning streak snapped on the same night as Wyoming defeated the Rebels, 69-66. UNLV was led by Marcus Banks' 23 points.
This is the 30th meeting between the teams with UNLV owning a 23-6 series lead. The Rebels have won 12 of the last 14 games between the schools, including a 79-64 decision on Feb. 11 at Cox Arena. The 15-point margin of defeat represents the Aztecs' worst loss of the season.
When the league tournament begins next Wednesday in Las Vegas, these two teams could very likely be facing one another in the quarterfinal round. The Rebels will be seeded either fourth or fifth (losing the tiebreaker to Wyoming), while the Aztecs could still finish fourth, fifth or sixth.
The only way the Aztecs would not face UNLV in the opening round of the league tournament is if UNLV defeats San Diego State and Colorado State wins at Brigham Young on Saturday. That would drop the Aztecs to the sixth seed and they would face third-seeded Wyoming in the opening round.
Storylines and Sidebars
- Saturday's game marks San Diego State's third network television appearance ever, with all three coming since December 2001. The Aztecs are still looking for their first victory on a network broadcast, having fallen at Cameron Indoor Stadium against Duke on ABC Dec. 29, 2001, and losing to Illinois in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season on CBS. The Aztecs played their first 2,016 games before appearing on network television but will have their third network appearance in the last 50 games on Saturday. SDSU is no stranger to live broadcasts this season, as Saturday's contest will mark the 13th consecutive TV appearance and 21st overall of the season.
- The Aztecs' Mountain West record of 6-7 ties last season's squad for the best MWC mark through 13 games in the four years of the league. Previous MWC starts: 1999-00 - 0-13; 2000-01 - 3-10; and 2001-02 - 6-7.
- San Diego State is looking for consecutive .500 or better conference records for the first time since the 1981-82 and 1982-83 seasons. In 1981-82 the Aztecs went 11-5 in the WAC and followed that up with an 8-8 mark in 1982-83. Last season, SDSU finished MWC play with a 7-7 record.
- The Aztecs, and the Rebels for that matter, have been a victim of bad luck during the conference season. Both teams have posted 1-3 records in games decided by four points or less. The Aztecs' three losses in games decided by four points or less in league action tying Air Force for the most losses by any Mountain West Conference school in this category. Records in the aforementioned games (ranked by winning percentage): Wyoming 5-0, Colorado State 3-2, Utah 2-2, Brigham Young 1-1, New Mexico 1-1, UNLV 1-3, Air Force 1-3, San Diego State 1-3.
- Freshman guard Steve Sir has been unconscious from behind the arc of late, connecting on 11 of his last 12 attempts (91.7 percent) from three-point range over the last four games.
- Freshman forward Evan Burns continues his strong play. The reigning MWC player of the week has scored in double figures in three straight games and the Aztecs are 8-1 when he scores 10+ points this season. In his last three games, Burns has 55 points, 23 rebounds, six blocked shots and four steals while connecting on 23-of-34 (67.6 percent) from the field.
- The Aztecs and Rebels played three times last season and produced a pair of overtime games and a title game for the Mountain West Conference Tournament championship, won 78-75 by the Aztecs. The Rebels' 15-point win earlier this season in San Diego surpassed the combined margin of last year's games (11 points).
- Three of the last six games (and three of the last five regular-season meetings) between the teams have gone to overtime, including both regular season meetings last season. The Rebels have won all three, as the Aztecs have yet to win an overtime game under Steve Fisher at 0-6 and have lost their last seven extra-period games overall. Of the team's last seven meetings, three have gone into overtime, one was decided by three points and another was decided by five points.
- Tony Bland and Mike Mackell both have produced solid numbers in their career against UNLV. Mackell averages 16.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg while connecting on 61.9 percent from the field. Bland has averaged 14.5 ppg and 3.5 rpg. Bland has shot 50.0 percent form the floor against UNLV.
Burns Named MWC Player Of The Week Aztec freshman forward Evan Burns was named Mountain West Conference Men's Basketball Co-Player of the Week for his play in San Diego State's wins over New Mexico and Wyoming. The Inglewood, Calif., native averaged 21.5 points and 8.5 rebounds while shooting 72.0 percent from the field in his best week of his brief collegiate career.
In sharing the award with UNLV's Marcus Banks, Burns earns his first career player of the week honor and the second for the Aztecs this season. Junior forward Aerick Sanders garnered the Feb. 10 award, also after an Aztec win over Wyoming.
Burns had his best game of the season in SDSU's 89-73 win over New Mexico Feb. 24. The 6-8 forward registered the second double-double of his career with personal-bests of 31 points and 13 rebounds. The 31 points were the most by an Aztec this season and the second-most ever in a MWC game. He connected on 12-of-15 field-goal attempts - including 4-of-6 three-pointers - and blocked two shots. The frosh had half (18) of SDSU's 36 points at halftime in stealing the spotlight from the Aztec seniors in San Diego State's 2002-03 home finale.
In propelling the Aztecs to their fourth straight win over Wyoming with an 86-73 victory on Saturday, Burns scored 12 points and added four rebounds and three blocked shots. Burns shot 6-of-10 field goals and also added two steals. He helped SDSU to a third straight conference win by double-digits for the first time since 1982. The Aztecs are now 8-0 when Burns scores 10 or more points.
Final Stretch For Three Seniors
Three Aztec seniors - Tony Bland, Deandre Moore and Mike Mackell - play the final regular-season game of their San Diego State careers at UNLV on Saturday.
Tony Bland is in his second season at San Diego State after transferring from Syracuse following his sophomore campaign. Each of Bland's first three collegiate seasons resulted in a 20-win campaign and a trip to the NCAA tournament. A Los Angeles native, Bland currently ranks fourth in scoring (16.8), fourth in assists (3.42), second in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.62) and 12th in steals (1.08) in the Mountain West Conference. He has played in 123 career games (including 59 at SDSU) and posted 1,312 points, 320 rebounds and 307 career assists. His collegiate teams have gone 83-41 (66.9 percent).
Deandre Moore is in his third season at San Diego State after transferring from Vanderbilt following his freshman campaign. Moore enters Monday ranked among the top 10 in six different SDSU career charts, including sixth in assists (325), seventh in games started (68), seventh in three-point field goals made (77), eighth in minutes played (2,312), ninth in three-point field goal percentage (35.6) and ninth in steals (110). This season, he ranks in the top 12 of five Mountain West Conference stat categories and is one of three Aztec players to start all 26 games.
Mike Mackell is in his second season at San Diego State after being named the California junior college player of the year at Porterville JC. A native of Washington D.C., Mackell is ninth in the league in scoring (15.1), fifth in field-goal percentage (55.6) and 17th in rebounding (4.5). He has scored in double figures in 25 of 26 games this season.
The three seniors have helped guide the Aztecs to a 36-23 record since the beginning of the 2001-02 season as well as the '02 MWC tournament championship.
The CSU Game: An Aberration?
The Aztecs rang up some impressive statistics during their three-game conference winning streak, outscoring the opposition by an average of 14.4 points per game in registering three straight double-digit league wins for the first time since 1982. But after the recent outstanding play (which could actually be traced to a pair of near-misses in the Beehive State against Utah and BYU Jan. 18 and 20), SDSU suffered its third-worst point loss of the season Monday at Colorado State (89-102) and allowed a season-worst 61.8 percent shooting to the Rams. The following is a look at SDSU's stats during the three-game win streak compared to Monday night's loss at CSU.
3-gm Win Streak Mar. 3 at CSUStatistic SDSU Opp. SDSU CSUScoring 80.7 66.3 89 102Rebounding 31.0 27.3 25 31Field Goal % 56.1 40.1 55.4 61.8Free Throw % 68.6 75.4 66.7 76.53-Pt FGs 6.7 8.0 7 83-Pt FG % 52.6 35.8 46.7 57.1Assists 14.0 11.7 12 27Turnovers 12.3 13.7 14 12
Deja Vu?
The similarities between last season's Mountain West Conference tournament championship team and this season's squad are starting to add up.
Both teams suffered disappointing home losses in February, with last season's squad using that as the catalyst toward winning five of its final six regular-season games, a sweep in the league tournament and a trip to the NCAA tournament.
Both losses occurred after the Aztecs posted impressive wins - last season at New Mexico, this season over then-conference unbeaten Wyoming.
In fact, you could make a case that San Diego State is better off this season. After suffering this season's home loss, SDSU was 3-4 as opposed to 2-6 last season and 12-8 overall compared to 13-10 in 2001-02.
Aztec Cliff Notes
Steve Fisher, who has authored one of the nation's most remarkable turnarounds at San Diego State, has the Aztecs playing some of the best basketball in school history.
The Aztecs have won 15 of their last 24 games in posting a 15-11 overall record and a 6-7 mark in Mountain West Conference play. Two of the Aztecs' eight losses have come to nationally ranked opponents in top-ranked Arizona and then-No. 23 Texas Tech and two others occurred prior to sophomores Travis Hanour and Chris Manker and freshman Evan Burns being cleared to play.
Statistically, solid defense and rebounding have been the Aztecs' two major weapons this season. San Diego State has only been out-rebounded four times this season and boasts a +5.2 rebound margin. Meanwhile on defense, the Aztecs have limited their opposition to 43.9 percent field-goal shooting with only two opponents shooting better than 50 percent against the Aztecs this season.
The Aztecs sport one of the nation's most experienced backcourts in seniors Tony Bland and Deandre Moore. Both have played in more than 100 career games and are among the conference leaders in many categories.
Bland, who last season became the first player in MWC history to rank among the league's top 10 in points and assists and the top 20 in rebounds, ranks among the conference leaders in four statistical categories - points, assists, assist-to-turnover ratio and steals. Bland is averaging a team-high 16.8 ppg and is third in the league with a 1.62 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Moore, the quintessential point guard, is the second-leading assist man in the league and has become quite a threat from long range. He has connected on 39.8 percent from bonus distance and is 12th in the conference in three-point percentage and 11th in three-point field goals made (1.35 per game). Moore is averaging 8.2 ppg, 4.2 apg and 3.5 rpg.
San Diego State's inside game is led by one of the conference's premiere low-post players in Mike Mackell. The senior is ninth in the MWC in scoring, averaging 15.1 ppg, and is 17th in rebounding at 4.5. He is also connecting on 55.6 percent of his shots from the field, fifth-best in the league.
Aerick Sanders has started all 26 games this season at the power forward spot. The junior is third in the league in rebounding and posting 6.3 ppg and 7.9 rpg. He has produced 13 games with nine or more rebounds. He was named the Mountain West Conference Player of the Week on February 10.
The fifth starting spot has largely been determined by match-ups and filled by wing players in freshman Evan Burns and Steve Sir, and sophomores Tommy Johnson and Travis Hanour. All contribute in different ways: Sir (5.9 ppg, 1.2 rpg) is an unbelievable three-point shooter who has made 43 treys and is connecting on 42.2 percent of his long-range attempts this season;. Johnson (5.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg) is an athletic wing with the ability to beat people off the dribble; and Hanour (3.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg) is perhaps the most athletic but has fought tendinitis in both knees throughout the season.
When the Aztecs choose to go with a bigger lineup, the fifth starting slot goes to athletic 6-8 freshman Evan Burns. After coming off the bench since making his long-awaited Aztec debut on Dec. 7 against top-ranked Arizona, the McDonald's All-American started two straight games before returning to the bench for five straight. He reentered the starting line-up for the Laramie-Fort Collins road trip. He made his first collegiate start against Wyoming and produced 17 points, eight rebounds and a career-high five assists in 29 minutes. Coming off the bench for the fifth straight game, Burns propelled the Aztecs to a 50-5 bench scoring advantage against New Mexico by producing his second career double-double with career-highs in points (31) and rebounds (13). Having scored in double-figures in three straight games while emerging as a viable third offensive option, Burns is third on the team in scoring with 8.8 ppg and second in rebounding at 4.8 rpg despite averaging only the fifth-most playing time at 20.4 minutes per game.
Fisher's bench is deeper than it has been in the past with three of the group of Burns, Sir, Johnson and Hanour coming off the bench and and sophomore center Chris Manker and freshman walk-on John Sharper ready to contribute.
Manker, the Aztecs' tallest player at 7-0, has shown guard-like skills. He can run the floor and pull up and shoot the three. He is averaging 3.3 ppg and 1.3 rpg and has played in 21-of-22 games since he became eligible.
Sharper, who was originally recruited to back up Moore at the point guard position, has proven he can play both guard spots. He has averaged 1.9 ppg in 24 games and has turned the ball over just 10 times in 212 minutes of action, including just six turnovers in his last 158 minutes.
Last Time Out: Colorado State Snaps SDSU's Three-Game Win Streak, 102-89
FORT COLLINS, Colo. - Colorado State scored the most points ever by an Aztec opponent in MWC play and ended San Diego State's three-game MWC win streak 102-89 at Moby Arena. The Rams led by as 22 points in the second half en route to shooting the highest percentage by an Aztec opponent this season, connecting on 61.8 percent of its field-goal attempts.
With the loss, the Aztecs can finish in no better than a tie for fourth place in the conference. SDSU came no closer than within nine points in the second half as the season's worst defensive performance negated SDSU's 55.4 percent field-goal shooting and most points ever in a MWC contest (matching the 89-73 New Mexico win one week earlier).
Six early points by Mike Mackell helped propel the Aztecs to a 15-14 lead with 12 minutes, 8 seconds to go in the first half. But SDSU could not stop several Ram scoring bursts, including a Matt Nelson dunk at 11:11 that gave CSU the lead for good and helped jumpstart an 8-0 Rams run.
A Tony Bland jumper brought the Aztecs within 29-25, but CSU responded by reeling off nine of the next 10 points and the lead grew to double-digits where it would remain until the waning moments of the game. Derrick Stevens scored five points in the last 29 seconds of the half and SDSU was faced with its largest halftime deficit of the season (52-36).
The Rams shot 65.6 percent from the field in the first half (21-32) and connected on 6-of-8 three-pointers.
CSU maintained its large margin for the first 12-and-a-half minutes of the second half before a 10-4 Aztec run cut it to 83-73 with 5:33 to go. However, CSU scored six straight points and the teams would trade short bursts the rest of the way. The Aztecs came as close as nine points after a 6-0 run with 1:05 left, but CSU answered with six straight points before a Bland layup finalized the margin at 102-89.
Nelson was 8-for-8 from the field and 14-of-19 from the line for a 30-point night. He led four other Rams in double-figures, including 17 points (and 10 rebounds) from Brian Greene.
Bland led the Aztecs with 25 points. Mackell returned to his double-figure scoring form with 13 points after having his streak of 26 straight 10-plus point games snapped the previous outing by Wyoming. Evan Burns had 12 points to reach double-figures for the third straight game, while Deandre Moore added 10.
NOTES OF THE GAME: SDSU allowed 100-plus points for the first time since a 101-66 loss at Wyoming on Feb. 3, 2001... San Diego State had just 12 assists on its 31 baskets compared to Colorado State's 27 assists and 34 field goals... The Aztecs were out-rebounded (31-25) for the second straight game but only the fifth time this season... CSU's bench shot 87.0 percent (20-of-23) and outscored SDSU's reserves 61-23... Steve Sir connected on all three of his three-point attempts and has made 11 of his last 12 from long range.
San Diego State - UNLV: The Series
San Diego State and UNLV are meeting for the 30th time in history, with the Runnin' Rebels holding a 23-6 series lead including wins in 12-of-14 games in Las Vegas. However, in their most recent trip to Vegas the Aztecs defeated UNLV in last season's MWC Tournament final to earn a 2002 NCAA Tournament berth.
- The SDSU-UNLV series has recently resulted in several close outcomes. The Aztecs and Rebels played three times last season and produced a pair of overtime games and a title game for the Mountain West Conference Tournament championship, won 78-75 by the Aztecs. The Rebels' 15-point win earlier this season in San Diego surpassed the combined margin of last year's games (11 points).
- Three of the last six games (and three of the last five regular-season meetings) between the teams have gone to overtime, including both regular season meetings last season. The Rebels have won all three, as the Aztecs have yet to win an overtime game under Steve Fisher at 0-6 and have lost their last seven extra-period games overall. Of the team's last seven meetings, three have gone into overtime, one was decided by three points and another was decided by five points.
- Three of the Aztecs' top seven points allowed totals in MWC games have come against the Rebels, two of which happened in 2000 (64-85 on March 2 at home and 55-83 on Jan. 22 at UNLV) and the 76-83 overtime loss at Vegas last season. However, the Aztecs' second-largest MWC victory ever came in the 2001 season's second meeting on Feb. 24, an 83-66 win at home in which the Aztecs set a team MWC single-game record with 13 made three-point field goals.
- SDSU has faced UNLV three times in NCAA tournaments, more than any other opponent. The Aztecs are 1-2 in those games, earning a victory in the 1967 NCAA Div. II Tournament regionals but dropping first-round decisions to ranked Rebel teams in the 1975 and '85 NCAA Div. I Tournaments.
- Barring an Aztec loss in Saturday's regular-season finale combined with a Colorado State sweep of its season-ending Utah-BYU road trip, SDSU and UNLV will likely meet again in Thursday's first-round of the Mountain West tournament. It would mark the third time that the Aztecs have faced the Rebels on UNLV's home floor in the Mountain West tournament. SDSU lost a narrow five-point decision in the 2000 quarterfinals before beating the Rebels in the tourney final last season.
San Diego State Players vs. UNLV
- Senior guard Tony Bland: Bland averaged 12.3 points in the three games vs. UNLV last season and shot 46.7 percent from the floor. However, he'd probably like to forget his free-throw shooting as he made just 8-of-16 attempts, including an 0-for-6 in the overtime loss on Feb.23 at Vegas. He grabbed a season-high eight rebounds in the Mountain West title game.
Bland had his best game against UNLV in this season's first meeting, scoring 21 points on 10-of-18 shooting and registering four rebounds and five assists.
This season, Bland is not only the team's top scorer at 16.5 points per game, he has also become the Aztecs' top defensive stopper. Head coach Steve Fisher has regularly tabbed Bland to match up with the opposition's top wing player and he has regularly held in check some of the nation's top players at the two or three positions. He will have his choice of match-ups against the athletic Rebels, likely switching off assignments on scoring guards like 6-2 Demetrius Hunter, 6-2 Marcus Banks and 6-4 Jermaine Lewis, as well as multi-talented 6-10 forward Dalron Johnson.
The first turn through the conference, Bland primarily locked up man-to-man on players like New Mexico's Ruben Douglas (MWC-low 21 points and 4-of-17 shooting in the Albuquerque meeting) and Wyoming's Donta Richardson (lowest output in last 10 games with 7 points on 2-of-11 shooting); the second time around Bland spearheaded more of a team defensive effort in which Aztec defenders switched off more often. The following is a look at how the Los Angeles native has helped to hold several of the nation's top players in check and below their season shooting percentages and scoring averages.
Season GameOpponent Player FG% Avg. TP FG 3FG FT ResultHawai'i Carl English 42.4 19.6 16 4-15 3-7 5-7 W, 60-49Tx Tech Andre Emmett 50.2 21.7 16 8-21 0-1 0-0 L, 75-63UT-gm1 Nick Jacobson 41.6 13.3 11 4-16 0-8 3-3 W, 58-56BYU-gm1 Travis Hansen 45.4 16.5 14 4-7 0-1 6-9 L, 80-69UNM-gm1 Ruben Douglas 40.8 28.8 21 4-17 3-10 10-10 L, 62-66WYO-gm1 D. Richardson 43.9 18.2 7 2-11 0-4 3-5 W, 80-70WYO-gm2 Jay Straight 36.7 10.3 6 2-7 0-5 2-3 W, 86-73
- Senior center Mike Mackell: In his first trip through the Mountain West last season, Mackell put up perhaps his most impressive numbers against UNLV. He made 65.4 percent (17-26) of his shots against the Rebels and averaged 14.3 points and 4.7 rebounds. Mackell scored in double-figures each game, including 15 points on a season-high seven field goals as the Aztecs defeated Vegas in the title game of the MWC tourney.
However, as he was want to do last season in adjusting to the Div. I game out of junior college, Mackell fouled out of the first two UNLV contests, two of nine disqualifications for the Washington, D.C., native last year.
In this season's first meeting, Mackell matched his career-high with 22 points. Add in Bland's 21 points and the two seniors combined for 67.2 percent (43-of-64) of the Aztecs' scoring in the loss. Mackell also chipped in six rebounds, including a season-high five boards on the offensive end.
For his career, Mackell has averaged 16.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 61.9 field-goal shooting against UNLV.
- Senior guard Deandre Moore: With six games and five starts against UNLV, Moore has played and started more times against the Runnin' Rebels than any other active Aztec. He has also saved some of his best Mountain West play for UNLV, averaging 7.5 points and 3.5 rebounds. He has registered three of his 24 Aztec career double-digit scoring outputs against the Rebels, including 11 points propelled by perfect 4-of-4 shooting from the free-throw line in the Mountain West title game last season.
- Junior forward Aerick Sanders: After missing both UNLV contests as a freshman due to a stress reaction in his right foot, Sanders played in all three games last year against the Rebels and totaled seven of the Aztecs' 12 blocks in just 42 minutes of action en route to finishing seventh in the league with 0.88 blocks per game.
In this season's earlier meeting, Sanders grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds, including a career-high nine on the offensive end. He also added eight points in that game.
The Last Meeting
- UNLV 79, San Diego State 64
Feb. 11, 2003 (Cox Arena - San Diego, Calif.)
SAN DIEGO - - UNLV became the first Aztec opponent to shoot better than 50 percent from the field en route to a 79-64 win over San Diego State at Cox Arena. The Rebels' win put UNLV and SDSU into a three-way tie for fourth place along with Colorado State to finish the first half of the conference season.
A game after turning the ball over 34 times in a blowout loss to USC, the Runnin' Rebels took care of the ball (14 turnovers) and performed efficiently on the offensive end, shooting 52.8 percent. The Rebels hit 8-of-13 three-pointers to negate SDSU's 32 points in the paint and 20 offensive rebounds.
UNLV never trailed in the game in jumping out to an 11-3 lead. The Aztecs pulled to within 20-18 on a Mike Mackell jumper, but UNLV outscored SDSU 23-9 the rest of the way to take a 43-27 halftime lead.
Tony Bland shot 6-of-12 field goals and had 13 points in the first half compared to the rest of the Aztecs' 6-of-23 shooting and 14 points.
SDSU played much better for the first 12 minutes of the second half and cut the lead to 60-55 on a Bland layup with 8 minutes, 24 seconds remaining. However, Jermaine Lewis came back with one of his seven three-pointers and after Mackell missed a breakaway dunk, the Rebels embarked on a game-breaking 15-2 run and ended up with the 79-64 win.
Lewis ended up with a game-high 24 points while Marcus Banks added 21. Mackell matched his career-high with 22 and Bland had 11, as the duo combined for 19-of-34 shooting and 43 points while the rest of the SDSU roster shot 7-for-29 and had 21 points.
NOTES OF THE GAME: Despite the loss, SDSU still has its best-ever Mountain West start at 3-4 after seven games... The game's 15-point margin was four points more than the combined total margin of last season's three games which were decided by a total of 11 points with two of the three going to overtime... Nine of junior Aerick Sanders' 11 rebounds came on the offensive end and he has provided the Aztecs 20 extra offensive chances in the last three games.
The Last Meeting In Las Vegas
- San Diego State 78, UNLV 75
March 9, 2002 (MWC Tournament Championship - Thomas & Mack Center - Las Vegas, Nev.)
LAS VEGAS - -- Deandre Moore hit two free throws with 3.3 seconds remaining as fifth-seeded San Diego State beat third-seeded UNLV, 78-75, to win the Mountain West Conference tournament and advance to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1985.
The Aztecs led by as many as 16 points in the second half, but UNLV got within one point on two free throws by Marcus Banks with 4.8 seconds remaining. Moore was fouled with 3.3 seconds left, and went on to convert both free throws to clinch the win for the Aztecs.
Tournament MVP Randy Holcomb led SDSU with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Al Faux added 16 points and Mike Mackell had 15.
Lou Kelly paced the Rebels with 24 points. Dalron Johnson had 23 and Marcus Banks scored 18.
The Aztecs led 68-53 with five minutes left to play, but turned the ball over five straight times as the Rebels rallied to cut the lead to 68-62 with 3:55 left.
Banks and Johnson scored all nine points for the Rebels in that run. Mackell ended the streak with a layup to put the Aztecs ahead 70-62.
The Aztecs extended their lead to 74-68 on two free throws by Moore, but Banks made a three-point play to bring the Rebels to within 74-71 with 1:06 remaining. With 30 seconds left, Kelly connected on an inside jumper to pull the Rebels within two, 75-73.
Banks converted two free throws with 4.8 seconds left to bring the Rebels within one point of catching the Aztecs, but Moore's two free throws in the final seconds thwarted the Rebels' chances of a come-from-behind win.