Jan. 2, 2004
Complete Game Notes vs. Iowa State (Sat., Jan. 3) in PDF Format
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Game No. 14
Iowa State (7-1) at San Diego State (8-5)
Saturday, Jan. 3, 2004
7:05 p.m. PST
Cox Arena (12,414)
San Diego, Calif.
Television
Channel 4 San Diego. Matt Vasgersian (play-by-play), Jim Brogan (analysis), Jason Bott (producer). There is no satellite or out-of-market coverage of the game.
Radio
XPRS-1090 AM, San Diego (The Mighty 1090). John Fricke (play-by-play), John Kentera (analysis), Dave Marcus (producer).
Series
This will mark the first year of a home-and-home series between Iowa State and San Diego State with the Aztecs scheduled to visit Ames next season. Iowa State leads the series 2-1, with the Aztecs winning the previous encounter, a 92-78 decision on Jan. 8, 1976.
Tickets
Tickets range in price from $16-20 and are available on the SDSU website (goaztecs.com), at the Cox Arena ticket office or at any Ticketmaster (619-220-TIXS) outlet.
San Diego State Concludes Three-Game Homestand; Opens New Year with Once-Beaten Big 12-Member Iowa State on Saturday
San Diego State (8-5), which looks to record its ninth victory on the second earliest calendar date in the 83-year history of the basketball program, plays host to upstart Big 12-member Iowa State (7-1) on Saturday night. The fourth meeting between the Cyclones and Aztecs is scheduled for a 7:05 p.m. PST start 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).
The Aztecs responded from their worst performance of the season, with a gutsy 67-61 decision over Portland. The Aztecs shot just 39.3 percent from the field, but out-rebounded the Pilots 44-27, and used a Herculean-type effort from senior forward Aerick Sanders to rally from a seven-point deficit to win. Sanders posted his fifth double-double of the season with a career-high 34 points, on 13-of-20 shooting, and added a game-high 14 rebounds. That point total matched the highest scoring game by an Aztec player in the last 14 seasons. It was the first time in 19 games in the Fisher era that SDSU has shot less than 40 percent from the field, committed more turnovers and won the game (1-18).
One game after posting its worst rebound margin in 42 games, San Diego State's +17 advantage on the board was the best against a Division I team since Dec. 1, 2001. With the decisive rebound advantage, the Aztecs were able to win for the third time this season when shooting below 40 percent from the field.
The victory snapped a season-long two-game losing streak for the Aztecs which lost at fifth-ranked Arizona (83-71) and Washington (92-81).
The Iowa State game marks the fourth straight Aztec opponent that enters the contest with a .500 or better record. Including the Cyclones, the remaining 16 regular season games on San Diego State's schedule are against teams that currently have a winning record.
The Cyclones may have been overlooked in the preseason, but have raced out to a 7-1 record and are rated 48th in the RPI (through Wednesday's games). Iowa State was one of 12 undefeated teams before falling to an undefeated Virginia squad on Wednesday night, 85-74. The game was tied at half, and the Cyclones led a majority of the second half, and owned a 76-69 advantage with nine minutes remaining before the Cavaliers rallied. Iowa State have advanced to the postseason in three of the last four seasons, including the NCAA Elite Eight in 2000 and went 1-1 in last season's postseason NIT.
Iowa State is 17-2 since the beginning of last season in its pre-league schedule. The only teams to defeat the Cyclones during that stretch have been Boston College (78-85 on Dec. 10, 2002) and Virginia (85-74 on Wednesday).
Saturday will mark the fourth meeting between the teams, with Iowa State owning a 2-1 series advantage. The teams have split the two meetings in San Diego, with the Aztecs claiming the last game, a 92-75 decision on Jan. 8, 1976. That is the only time the teams have met since San Diego State went to the Division I level, prior to the 1970-71 season.
With a victory, SDSU would claim win number nine on Jan. 3. That would tie for the second earliest date to post a ninth win, just one day short of the record set by the 2001-02 NCAA Tournament team.
This marks the end of a season-long three-game homestand for the Aztecs, which leave Monday afternoon for a Tuesday game at Saint Mary's (8-5). Including the Cyclones, San Diego State's next four opponents are a collective 30-11 record, with three of the four teams ranked in the top 49 of the RPI.