Nov. 12, 2003
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State will take the floor for its second and final exhibition game against Branch West on Thursday, Nov. 13 at Cox Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. SDSU earned an 85-55 victory over the LA Stars last week in the Aztecs' first exhibition game of the 2003-04 season.
It is the third time in four seasons that the Aztecs have faced Branch West, with the two squads splitting the first two matchups. SDSU earned an 83-72 victory last season, while Branch West picked up an 83-82 win in 2000.
The Branch West team will feature former Aztecs Deandre Moore and Brandon Smith, and are coached by Bob Gottlieb, the father of San Diego State assistant coach Gregg Gottlieb. Bob Gottlieb was the head coach at Jacksonville and Wisconsin-Milwaukee and also coached under Hall of Famers Jack Hartman at Kansas State and Eddie Sutton at Creighton.
Last Thursday against the LA Stars, the Aztecs had five players hit double figures in scoring and two players record double-doubles. Freshman Brandon Heath led the Aztecs with 16 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals.
San Diego State posted a 16-14 record last season and advanced to postseason play for the second consecutive year. The Aztecs recorded the first Division I postseason victory in school history when SDSU defeated UC Santa Barbara in the opening round of the NIT. The Aztecs return eight letterwinners of last years' squad.
The Aztecs will open the 2003-04 regular season with a home game against Long Beach State on Friday, Nov. 21. The game will be a part of a SDSU double-header at Cox Arena as the women's basketball team begins their season against St. Mary's at 5 p.m. The men's game will begin at approximately 7:30 p.m.