Dec. 2, 2003
SAN DIEGO -
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
The city's two Division I basketball schools, separated by just 9.4 miles, meet for the 35th time on Wednesday night as San Diego State (3-2) travels to the Jenny Craig Pavilion to play San Diego (1-4). Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. PST and the game will be televised locally in the San Diego market on Channel 4 San Diego (no satellite coverage) and can be heard on XPRS-1090 AM (The Mighty 1090).
San Diego State is playing its sixth game in a series of seven games in 16 days to open the 2003-04 season. Of those seven games, four are against teams that advanced to postseason play last season (Ohio State, Dayton, Troy State and San Diego). The Aztecs are coming off a disappointing 93-84 loss to 2003 NCAA Tournament participant Troy State on Sunday afternoon. The Trojans set Cox Arena records by making 19-of-40 three-point field-goal attempts en route to the victory. The loss overshadowed another spectacular performance by senior forward Aerick Sanders. A member of the 2003 EA Sports Maui Invitation All-Tournament Team, Sanders recorded his third consecutive double-double, tying a career high with 21 points and adding a game-high 15 rebounds.
San Diego State practiced Monday and Tuesday of this week, marking the first time the Aztecs have been able to practice on consecutive days since Nov. 19 and 20, prior to the season opening game against Long Beach State.
The Toreros snapped a four-game season-opening losing streak with a 68-65 victory over SMU last Friday night. San Diego trailed by as many as 12 points in the second half before rallying for the victory. Junior guard Brett Melton connected on 5-of-7 second-half three-point field-goal attempts and tied for team-high honors with 20 points. San Diego has won 10 of its last 15 games played at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.
This is the 35th meeting between the schools with San Diego State owning an 18-16 series lead. The Aztecs snapped a four-game USD series-winning streak last season with a 78-72 victory at Cox Arena on Jan. 2, 2003. Trailing 8-2 after the first 2:32, San Diego State scored nine consecutive points to take a lead the Aztecs never relinquished.
San Diego State is looking to snap a four-game losing streak on the USD campus and claim its first victory on Torero soil since an 84-61 win on Feb. 25, 1975. The Aztecs are also looking to claim consecutive wins in the series for the first time since Jan. 5, 1984 and Dec. 6, 1984. The loser of this game has advanced to the NCAA Tournament each of the last two seasons, with USD claiming a 72-67 decision on Dec. 5, 2001, only to see the Aztecs advance to the NCAA Tournament, while SDSU won last season only to see the Toreros advance to the Big Dance. The last three games in the series have been decided by a total of 14 points.
The Aztecs continue city rivalry week this Saturday when San Diego State entertains UC San Diego at Cox Arena. Game time is set for 7:05 p.m. PST and for the first time this season, San Diego State will play a game that will not be televised.
It is poster and autograph night, with free posters being distributed at the door and autographs available from SDSU players after the game. It is also unofficially Ben Wardrop Appreciation Night, with the Fisher Fanatics, the official men's basketball student support group, paying homage to the senior walk-on.
Last Time Out: Troy State Hits 19 Treys to Defeat San Diego State 93-84
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State could not overcome a Cox Arena-record 19 three-pointers from visiting Troy State as the Trojans handed the Aztecs a 93-84 defeat.
The game was tight throughout with 15 ties and nine lead changes, but the Trojans used a 12-1 surge to take a 40-31 lead and held on for a 48-43 lead over SDSU at half time.
In the second half, San Diego State went on a quick 7-2 run to tie the game at 50-50 with 18 minutes left on a three-pointer by Brandon Heath. The two teams battled back and forth until five quick points by Troy State with five minutes remaining gave the Trojans a lead they would not relinquish.
Aztecs senior Aerick Sanders tied a career-high with 21 points and had a game-high 15 rebounds for his third straight double-double and the fifth of his career. Teammate Brandon Heath also posted 21 points. Junior Tommy Johnson recorded career highs with 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting and four steals.
Troy State finished 19-for-40 (47.5 percent) from behind the arc with both three-pointers made and attempted setting Cox Arena records. SDSU shot 49.3 percent from the field but just 6-of-26 (23.1 percent) from behind the arc.
This was the first meeting ever between San Diego State and Troy State, which made its first ever trip to California for the game.
Notes From the Game
The loss drops SDSU head coach Steve Fisher to 119-15 in his career when his team posts 80+ points in a game... SDSU and Troy State battled as the game had 15 lead changes and nine ties.
Troy State set a record for three-point shooting at Cox Arena with 19 three-point field goals made in the game and also 40 three-point field goal attempts in the game... The previous records at Cox Arena were 16 three-point field goals made by SDSU against UCSD on Dec. 12, 2002, and 35 attempts by Air Force vs. SDSU on Jan. 20, 2001.
Aerick Sanders tied a career high with 21 points and also recorded a double-double for the third straight game and the fifth time in his career with 15 rebounds... Sanders also scored 21 points against Dayton on Tuesday (Nov. 25)... Sanders has averaged 18.7 points and 16.3 rebounds over his stretch of three consecutive double-doubles.
Junior Tommy Johnson scored a career-high 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the floor... Johnson's previous career high was 15 against Dayton on Tuesday (Nov. 25)... Johnson also recorded a career high four steals, one better than his previous high of three, which he had done twice.
Brandon Heath scored over twenty points for the second time in just five career games as he scored 21 points on 8-of-18 shooting... Heath also scored 28 points against Ohio State early this season, and has scored in double-digits in every game this season... Heath is averaging 16.8 points on the year... Heath also dished out a career high five assists, breaking his previous mark of two which he had done twice.
Injury Update
Although there are 13 players on the roster, the Aztecs continue to play with just nine healthy bodies. Junior guard Travis Hanour has a bulging disc and is expected to miss the next three weeks, while sophomore guard Steve Sir, did not start practicing with the team until Nov. 14, while he recovered from hernia surgery. He was listed as day-to-day before slipping during a pre-practice workout on Saturday and suffering a groin strain. He is expected to rejoin the team on Thursday. Trimaine Davis, who suffered an injury to his right knee, had surgery on Nov. 21 to remove two bone fragments and is expected to miss three-to-five weeks. Freshman guard Shawn Weinstein has not played thus far and coaches are hoping to redshirt the guard.
The Series
Crosstown rivals San Diego State and San Diego are renewing their city series for the sixth consecutive season and the 35th time since beginning in 1962. The Aztecs hold an 18-16 advantage. The Aztecs are 4-7 as the road team in the series.
Last season, San Diego State snapped a four-game losing streak to the Toreros with a 78-72 victory at Cox Arena on Jan. 8, 2003. On the strength of 10-of-12 shooting from the frontcourt tandem of Aerick Sanders and Mike Mackell, the Aztecs shot 49.1 percent from the field. Conversely, SDSU harassed USD into a season low 22 first-half points and held the Torreros to just 39.3 perfecent field goal shooting in the game.
Last time at the Jenny Craig Pavilion, USD won a 72-67, on Dec. 5, 2001. On the strength of a 12-point advantage at the free-throw line, the Toreros overcame an eight-point halftime deficit en route to the win. USD's Andre Laws scored 25, matching SDSU's Al Faux for game-high honors, as the Toreros took the lead for good on Tom Lippold's three-pointer with 12 minutes, 32 seconds remaining and held off the Aztecs for the win.
Four of the last five meetings and 15 of the 34 all-time contests have been decided by six points or fewer. The Aztecs' record in those games is 7-8, including one win in the last seven contests.
Last Season's Game: Aztecs Snap Toreros Four-Game Series Win Streak, 78-72
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.
The Toreros raced out to an 8-2 lead after the first 2:32, but the Aztecs ran off the next nine points to take a lead they would never relinquish.
Despite going without a field goal for a 7:41 stretch of the first half, the Aztecs held on to a seven-point halftime 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 by Steve Sir, to take command.
USD trailed by 10 with just over a minute left and whittled SDSU's lead 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 then 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.
Sanders Earns Second MWC Player of the Week Honor
San Diego State's Aerick Sanders has been named the Mountain West Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week after recording career highs in points and rebounds and leading SDSU to a third place finish at the Maui Invitational.
Sanders finished the week averaging 16 points and 14.5 rebounds over four games, where he shot 61 percent (26-43) from the field. Sanders entered the week having never scored in double figures in consecutive games and ended the week with three straight double-doubles.
Sanders started with eight points and nine rebounds in SDSU's 22-point win over Ohio State, the Aztecs' largest margin of victory ever over a Big Ten school. He followed that effort with a career game as he posted 21 points and 18 rebounds against Dayton, which are both career highs. Against Chaminade, in SDSU's final game in Maui, Sanders followed with another double-double with 14 points and 16 rebounds in an Aztec victory. Sanders posted his third straight double-double by tying his career high with 21 points and adding 15 rebounds versus Troy State on Sunday.
Sanders is only the second Aztec to earn the MWC honor multiple times in a career. Last season, Sanders was named player of the week on Feb. 10 after recording then career highs of 14 points and 14 rebounds in a victory over Wyoming. Randy Holcomb is the only other Aztec to have earned multiple MWC player of the week awards, earning three in his two seasons at SDSU.
Sanders is averaging 14.0 points on the year to go with 13.2 rebounds per game.
Sanders Ranks Among National Leaders
Although the NCAA does not release official national statistical leaders until later this month, ESPN.com updates an unofficial list on a daily basis.
According to the website, Aerick Sanders is third nationally in rebounds per game. Sanders, currently averaging 13.2 rpg, trails only Marcus Smallwood of Northern Illinois (14.7) and Justin Reed of Mississippi (13.3).
Both players ahead of Sanders have played just three games, meaning that through Sunday, no player in the country had collected as many rebounds as Sanders.
Finishing Third in Maui is a Good Start
Start with a list of teams that have finished third in this tournament: Kentucky (2002, 1997), UCLA (2001), Dayton (2000), Florida (1999), Utah (1998), California (1996), Santa Clara (1995, 1990), Michigan (1994), Ohio State (1993), Memphis State (1992), Rice (1991), Louisville (1989), UNLV (1988), Illinois (1987), Missouri (1986), Virginia Tech (1985) and Virginia (1984).
Now take a look at what the third-place finishers have done recently.
The last nine third-place finishers in Maui have advanced to the postseason (including eight to the NCAA Tournament)
The last eight third-place finishers in Maui have won at least one postseason game
The last eight third-place finishers in Maui have won at least 20 games and have averaged 26.1 wins
Four of the last seven third-place Maui finishers have made the NCAA Sweet 16
Two of the last six third-place Maui finishers have made the NCAA Elite Eight
1998 NCAA Champion Kentucky finished third in the Maui tournament that season
This Program Keeps Building and Building
Steve Fisher and the Aztecs' journey from perennial basement dweller to a team that has made two straight appearances in the postseason is made all the more remarkable by the speed at which the turnaround was achieved.
Just four years ago in 1999-2000, the Aztecs won only five games, and three 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 wasnot enough, in the 2001-02 season the Aztecs went 21-12 for the second-highest win total in the school's Division I history and the 2002-03 Aztecs returned to the postseason and finished 16-14.
u San Diego State is now 40-28 (58.8 percent) since the beginning of the 2001-02 season and 54-42 (57.4 percent) since the start of the 2000-01 campaign. Remember, the Aztecs averaged 9.8 wins per season in the 15 years from 1986-87 through 1999-00, with just one winning season during that stretch. In those 15 years, SDSU was 147-281 (34.3 percent) and failed to advance to postseason play.
San Diego State is now 16-18 in its last 34 road/neutral games since the beginning of the 2001-02 campaign. Those 16 road/neutral wins are one more the total SDSU had in the six seasons (1995-96, 1996-97, 1997-98, 1998-99, 1999-00 and 2000-01) combined when the Aztecs were 15-61 away from home.
Defensive Effort to Remember
San Diego State's defensive effort against Long Beach State, which resulted in allowing the 49ers just 44 points, 16 field goals and one three-point field goal will go down in Aztec history as one of the best 40-minute efforts in school history.
The 44 points allowed were the eighth-fewest allowed by San Diego State since moving to Division I prior to the 1970-71 campaign. Since the inception of the shot clock in 1986, the point-total was the second-fewest, trailing only a 43-point effort against Air Force (Jan. 20, 2001).
Long Beach State's field-goal percentage of 29.1 percent (16-of-55) marked the lowest SDSU has held an opponent since Florida Atlantic connected on 27.7 percent of its attempts on Nov. 30, 2000 (a 90-57 SDSU win).
By limiting Long Beach State to one three-point field goal, it marked the fifth time since the beginning of the 2001-02 season that an SDSU foe connected on just one shot from behind the arc.
The Aztecs forced 10 more turnovers (26) than Long Beach State had field goals (16).