Jan. 15, 2004
SAN DIEGO -
Complete Game Notes vs. UNLV (Sat., Jan. 17) PDF Format
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San Diego State (10-6 overall; 1-0 Mountain West Conference), coming off a victory over the Mountain West Conference preseason favorite and its first conference-opening home victory since 1997, plays host to UNLV (9-4/0-1) on Saturday at noon PST.
Game time is set for Noon PST at Cox Arena with the game televised by ESPN+Plus. The game will be televised in the San Diego market on Channel 4 San Diego and is available nationally via ESPN's Full Court package. The game can also be heard on XPRS-1090 AM (The Mighty 1090).
San Diego State won its conference opener for the second straight season, for the first time since claiming consecutive opening wins in 1996 and 1997, with a 65-61 victory over Brigham Young on Monday night at Cox Arena. The Aztecs shot just 37.9 percent from the field and were out-rebounded 40-34, but tied a Cox Arena record by committing just seven turnovers while forcing 17 Cougar miscues in claiming victory. Senior forward Aerick Sanders led all players with 18 points and added seven rebounds in the contest.
It was the fourth time this season that San Diego State has "found a way" to win a game in which the Aztecs have shot less than 40 percent from the floor.
The victory was the 250th career win for Steve Fisher in his 13th full season as a head coach. Fisher owns a 250-151 record in 401 career games, including a 66-69 record in his fifth season at San Diego State.
UNLV had a four-game winning streak snapped in its conference opener, a 72-67 loss to Utah on Monday night in Las Vegas. The Rebels, which had won their four previous games by a 16.3 margin, are playing their first road game in 35 days (Dec. 13).
This marks the seventh consecutive San Diego State opponent that has entered the game with a .500 or better record. All 13 games remaining on the Aztec schedule, including UNLV, are against clubs are currently own a winning record.
This is the 32nd meeting between San Diego State and UNLV, with the Rebels owning a 25-6 advantage in the series. UNLV won all three meetings between the teams last season, by a combined 42 points, and has won nine of the 11 encounters between the clubs since the formation of the Mountain West Conference. Despite the fact that the Rebels won all three meetings by double figures last season, three of the last eight games between the Aztecs and Rebels have been decided in overtime.
This marks the final home game for San Diego State until the last day of the month. The Aztecs hit the road for contests at Colorado State (Jan. 24) and at Wyoming (Jan. 26) before returning home to host Air Force (Jan. 31).
San Diego State Opens Conference Campaign with 65-61 Victory over BYU
SAN DIEGO - Senior forward Aerick Sanders scored a game-high 18 points and freshman guard Brandon Heath made a three-point basket and had two steals in the final 90 seconds as San Diego State defeated Brigham Young 65-61 on Monday night at Cox Arena.
Heath had 13 points and five rebounds in the contest. Chris Walton tallied 12 points and six rebounds, while Wesley Stokes added 15 points and seven assists for SDSU.
In the second half, the Aztecs limited Brigham Young to just nine field goals while forcing nine turnovers. Sanders limited Cougar center Rafael Araujo to 12 points and forced the preseason all-conference performer into five turnovers in the game.
Brigham Young led by as many as nine points on four occasions in the first half, the final occurrence at 33-24 with 1:26 remaining prior to intermission. The Aztecs ended the half on a 7-0 run, getting a basket by Sanders, a three-pointer by Heath and a beautiful coast-to-coast drive by Wesley Stokes, to cut the deficit to two at half.
The Aztecs used a 15-2 run early in the second half to build a 10-point advantage at 50-40 with 11:30 to play. The Cougars chipped away at the advantage, tying the game twice before taking a 61-59 lead with 1:44 to play.
That is when Heath took over, making a three-pointer with 1:24 left to put San Diego State ahead for good. The freshman added a free throw with 26 seconds left to give the Aztecs a two-point lead.
The Aztecs forced three turnovers in the Cougars' final three possessions, two of which were caused by Heath steals.
Heath's final steal, resulted in a Trimaine Davis dunk off a Stokes pass, to give the Aztecs the four-point margin of victory.
Noting the Brigham Young Game
- The attendance of 10,293 is the largest home crowd of the season and fifth largest in Cox Arena history. It is the eighth largest home crowd in San Diego State history. Monday's crowd was the largest ever to see an Aztec win in Cox history.
- This marked the 250th coaching victory for Steve Fisher. Now in his 13th-full season as a head coach, Fisher owns a 250-151 record. In his fifth season at San Diego State, Fisher has led the Aztecs to a 66-68 record.
- This game marked the fifth straight game that San Diego State has trailed at halftime. In three of those games the Aztecs have rallied to win the game (Portland, Iowa State and Brigham Young). This is the 15th time in the Steve Fisher era that San Diego State has rallied from a halftime deficit to win a game.
- Although Brigham Young still leads the all-time series 37-16, the Aztecs have won three of the last five overall and two of the last three games between the teams in San Diego.
- The Aztec defense held BYU's and the MWC's leading scorer Rafael Araujo to his second lowest point total of the season at 12 points, including a scoreless first half. It was the lowest point total for Araujo since the second game of the year when BYU fell to California on Nov. 26. The 61 points scored by the Cougars was also its second lowest scoring output of the season. The Aztecs forced 17 turnovers while committing just seven turnovers tying its second lowest total of the season.
- The seven turnovers by San Diego State tied the Cox Arena record low for a game.
- Aerick Sanders reached double-figures for the 12th time this season and the 20th time in his career as he finished with a game high 18 points. The senior, who did not record consecutive double-figure games in his career prior to this season, has now scored 10 or more points in eight straight games. Sanders entered the game with 24 points in six career games against Brigham Young.
- Wesley Stokes scored in double figures for the 12th time this season and the 26th time in his career. The junior also enjoyed his 13th straight game with at least five assists. Stokes finished with 15 points and seven assists.
- Chris Walton recorded his career best fourth straight double-digit scoring game finishing with 12 points. Entering the year Walton had never posted back-to-back double-digit games.
- Brandon Heath took over down the stretch for SDSU. Heath regained the lead for SDSU with a 3-point FG at the 1:24 mark to give SDSU a 62-61 lead. Heath then stole a pass from BYU with 0:28, knocked down a free throw and recorded the final steal of the game at the 0:16 to seal the win. Overall, Heath scored 13 points, had five rebounds and two steals.
- The seven turnovers by SDSU tied for the fewest by an Aztec squad in a Mountain West Conference game. The 66 field goals attempted were the third most for SDSU in MWC play, while the 20 three-point field goals attempted were fifth most. Individually, Brandon Heath's 10 three-point field goals attempts are second, Wesley Stokes seven assists tie for third and Aerick Sanders three blocked shots tie for fourth for the Aztecs in MWC action.
The UNLV Series
- This is the 32nd meeting between UNLV and San Diego State, with the Rebels owning a 25-6 advantage in the series.
- UNLV swept the series last season, winning all three games by double figures, outscoring the Aztecs 245-203 along the way.
- The 31 series meetings are the fewest for the Aztecs against any Mountain West Conference opponent. The six wins are also an Aztec low against any MWC foe. The three game losing streak to the Rebels is the longest against any MWC opponent.
- The teams have met in three of the four Mountain West Conference tournaments that UNLV has participated in. In 2000, the top-seeded Rebels, en route to the MWC postseason title and NCAA berth, claimed a narrow 77-72 victory over an 8th-seeded Aztec team that had gone winless in conference play. In 2002, No. 5 seed SDSU defeated No. 3 UNLV in the final, 78-75, to claim its first NCAA bid since 1985. Last season, UNLV, seeded fourth, defeated fifth-seeded San Diego State in the quarterfinal round 83-67.
- The MWC Championship is just a part of the Aztecs-Rebels postseason history. 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.
- Three of the last eight games (and three of the last six regular-season meetings) between the teams have gone to overtime, including both regular season meetings in 2001-02. Of the team's last nine meetings, three have gone into overtime, one was decided by three points and another was decided by five points.
Among the National Leaders
Official NCAA statistics through Monday's games show Aerick Sanders and Wesley Stokes continuing to climb the national charts.
Sanders, who led the nation in rebounding for a day back in December, is currently ninth nationally in rebounding (10.4) and 18th in the country in field goal percentage (61.2).
Meanwhile, Stokes, who leads the conference in both assists and steals, is 16th nationally in assists per game at 6.3.
Find A Way
A common phrase used to describe the 2003-04 San Diego State basketball is "find a way," as in find a way to win. In many of the Aztec victories this season, San Diego State has overcome nearly insurmountable statistical disadvantages to win games.
Overall, the Aztecs have posted a 10-6 record against the most challenging schedule in school history despite NCAA statistical rankings that would lead one to believe that San Diego State was below .500 (see previous page right).
But Steve Fisher's squad, which has only one senior and lost the top four scorers off last season's NIT squad has proven time and time again to find a way to win. Below is a look at some of the numbers the Aztecs have overcome to win games this season.
- Long Beach State (W, 74-44) - San Diego State shoots 37.9 percent from the field and has a -8 rebound margin but limits the 49ers to 44 points, 16 field goals and forces 26 turnovers. - Ohio State (W, 83-61) - Aztecs shoot 38.6 percent from the floor but use a +2 edge in rebounds, a +8 turnover margin and outscore the Buckeyes 26-11 at the free-throw line to win. - Portland (W, 67-61) - Atecs shoot 39.3 percent from the field and commit two more turnovers than the Pilots. SDSU outrebounds Portland 44-27 to mark the first time in the Steve Fisher the Aztecs shoot less than 40 percent and commit more turnovers and still win a game (1-18 in those games).
- Iowa State (W, 86-76) - San Diego State is outrebounded 39-28 but still win. The Aztecs -11 rebound margin is the second worst in a victory during Fisher's five seasons. SDSU ties a Cox Arena record for fewest turnovers with seven while recording nine steals to overcome an 11-point deficit for the win.
- Brigham Young (W, 65-61) - Aztecs shoot 37.9 percent from the field, 30.0 percent from three-point range and have a -6 rebound margin. Nonetheless, the Aztecs force 17 turnovers while committing just seven of their own in picking up the win. It marked the only time in Steve Fisher's five seasons that SDSU has shot less than 40 percent from the field, had fewer free throw attempts and won the game.
The First 100 Games in Cox Arena
San Diego State's matchup against Portland on on Dec. 31 was the Aztecs' 100th game in Cox Arena with the game against UNLV marking the 103rd in the building. The count includes regular-season games and the post-season NIT, but does not count exhibition games.
The Aztecs have posted three consecutive winning seasons in the building and are off to a 7-2 start in the facility this season.
After posting a 16-28 record in the first 44 contests in the facility, San Diego State has gone an impressive 42-16 since.
Avoiding the Slump
San Diego State has done an excellent job of defending its home court. Since the beginning of the the 2000-01 season, the Aztecs have posted a 42-16 (72.4 percent) record at Cox Arena.
On those rare occasions when SDSU has lost at home, the Aztecs have almost always respondfed with a victory. Seven of the last eight times San Diego State has lost at home, the Aztecs won their next home game.
San Diego State has not dropped consecutive home games to non-conference opponents since Dec. 22 and Dec. 27 of 1999. Since the 2000-01 campaign, SDSU is 30-6 (83.3 percent) vs. non-conference opponents at home.
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 was not 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.
- San Diego State is now 47-32 (59.5 percent) since the beginning of the 2001-02 season and 61-46 (57.0 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 17-21 in its last 38 road/neutral games since the beginning of the 2001-02 campaign. Those 17 road/neutral wins are two 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.
Good Losses
Although it is never good to suffer a loss, the six teams that have handed San Diego State a loss this season are a pretty impressive group.
Dayton, Troy State, Texas Tech, Arizona, Washington and Saint Mary's have combined to post a 58-24 record through Tuesday's games. Three of the six teams - Texas Tech, Dayton and Arizona - have been nationally ranked at one point this season.
The Aztecs have been impressive in several of the defeats. Below is a look at each of the four teams to top San Diego State this season (through Tuesday).
- Dayton (12-3, 58 RPI) - San Diego State trailed for just 23:32 of the contest and enjoyed a six-point second-half lead. The Aztecs led 59-54 with 6:49 to play and the game was tied inside of the two minute mark.
- Troy State (9-4, 122 RPI) - Troy State hit 19 three-point field goals, the most by any team in a NCAA Division I game this season. SDSU led by as many as five point in the game and there were four ties and four lead changes in the second half.
- 22nd-ranked Texas Tech (13-2, 9 RPI) - San Diego State led by as many as eight points in the contest. Texas Tech's lead was two with 6:47 to play and the Red Raider advantage was four points with 4:36 remaining.
- Seventh-ranked Arizona (10-2, 5 RPI) - San Diego State trailed by just seven points with 14:51 left before the Wildcats went on a 15-0 run. Nonetheless, the Aztecs responded by outscoring Arizona 30-20 the rest of the way.
- Washington (5-7, 147 RPI) - Teams exchanged the lead 17 times and had 11 ties in the first half. San Diego State cut a 15-point second-half deficit to four points on three occasions before falling.
- Saint Mary's (9-6, 128 RPI) - Saint Mary's is 5-1 at home. The Aztecs trailed the entire second half, but the cut deficit to one point before losing. Saint Mary's outscored the Aztecs 27-12 at the free throw line.
Sanders One of the Nations' Top Rebounder
The season is less than half old and San Diego State's lone scholarship senior has already posted some eye-popping numbers.
In addition to earning three Mountain West Conference Player of the Week honors this season and earning a spot on the 2003 EA Sports Maui Invitational all-Tournament team (the only player selected from a team that did not reach the championship game), he has also been listed among the nation's leading rebounders.
Through Monday's games, Sanders is ninth nationally in rebounds per game at 10.4 and 18th in the nation in field goal percentage at 61.2 percent.
Sanders, who entered the season never having recorded consecutive double-figure scoring games, is averaging 16.5 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. He has posted six double-doubles this season and has 10+ points in 12 of his last 14 games, including a personal-best eight straight double-digit scoring games.
In addition, the Aztecs' lone returning starter from last season has made 46 consecutive starts dating back to last season. Other statistical information on Sanders: - Sanders has 95 career blocked shots, good for 5th place in SDSU history (Leonard Allen holds the school record at 214).
- Sanders' 46 career starts are good for 11th place in SDSU history for most consecutive career starts (Michael Cage holds the record at 112).
After his remarkable performance in the Maui Invitational, ESPN analyst Jay Bilas called Sanders the best rebounder on the island. He wrote, "Sanders is a relentless rebounder who makes hustle plays and is always around the ball. He is long, athletic, and a workhorse that pursues the ball out of his area. He had 21 points and 18 rebounds against Dayton, a team that can rebound, and proved to me that he is among the best rebounders in the nation when he goes after it."
Sanders and Cox - A Tough Combo
As impressive as Sanders has been overall this season, the senior has been particularly tough at Cox Arena. In eight home games this season, he is averaging 18.9 points and 9.6 rebounds. Most remarkable, is the senior is shooting a red-hot 70.7 percent from the field, having connected on 70-of-99 field goal attempts.
His remarkable shooting resulted in tying an arena record against Cal Poly for field-goal percentage in a game (9-for-10). He then preceded to match the school record and break the arena record in the very next game by connecting on all 11 of his field goal attempts. Against Portland, Sanders posted a new career high with 34 points on 13-of-20 shooting and 8-of-11 from the free throw line.
Heath Climbing Freshman Charts
Brandon Heath continues to make a major impact in his freshman campaign at San Diego State.
A native of Los Angeles, Heath became just the eighth freshman to start a season opening game for Steve Fisher. He leads the team in scoring, averaging 17.1 points per contest and has shown the ability to post big games (30 at Texas Tech, 28 vs. Ohio State and 27 at San Diego) while showing tremendous consistency (he has scored in double figures in all but one of his 16 college games).
In addition to leading the team in scoring, he also ranked among the conference leaders in steals (27) as he has earned a reputation as a strong defensive player.
ESPN analyst Jay Bilas called Heath the best on-ball defender in the Maui Invitational. He went on to write, "Heath is an absolute ballhawk, who can put great pressure on the ball. He is quick, athletic and has a tenacity that marks a great defender. He is still young and learning how to best defend, but he can be a terrific player. Heath had 28 points against Ohio State, and has the chance to be an outstanding player."
Heath is quickly earning a reputation as a crunch time performer. With the game on the line against city-rival San Diego, Heath scored the Aztecs final nine points taking the game from 57-57 with 4:50 to play to the final 66-63. In the conference opener against Brigham Young, Heath tallied four points, including a go-ahead three-point field goal, and two steals in the final 91 seconds as the Aztecs defeated the Cougars 65-61.
Sanders Claims Fourth Mountain West Conference Player of the Week Honor
San Diego State senior forward Aerick Sanders averaged 26.0 points and 11.5 rebounds the week ending Jan. 5 en route to his third Mountain West Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week honor of the season. Sanders becomes just the third player ever to win three MWC POW awards in the same season, and ties Michael Cage for the most awards for an Aztec.
Overall, Sanders shot 61.3 percent (19-of-31) from the field and 73.7 percent (14-of-19) from the free throw line, while blocking four shots and recording five steals in the Aztecs' victories over Portland (67-61) and Iowa State (86-76).
Sanders joins Cage as the only player from SDSU to have three conference POW honors in the same season as Cage earned three from the WAC in 1984. The two are also tied for the most POW awards by an Aztec in a career with four. Sanders joins UNLV's Marcus Banks in 2002-03 and Kaspars Kambala in 1999-2000 as the only individuals to receive the honor three times from the MWC in the same season.
Sanders, a Carson, Calif. (Gardena Serra HS) native, collected his fifth double-double of the year with a career-high 34 points and 14 rebounds in the win over Portland. The 34 points is an MWC individual high this season. He shot 13-of-20 from the field and hit 8-of-11 free throws against the Pilots.
In the 10-point win over Iowa State, Sanders had 18 points, a team-high nine rebounds, a career-high four steals, two assists and two blocked shots in 39 minutes of action. The senior connected on 6-of-11 shots from the field and 6-of-8 from the line. With the Aztecs trailing by a point at the half, Sanders posted 12 points and five rebounds in the second half. The Aztecs trailed 44-43 with 14:44 left before SDSU used a 13-2 run to take control of the game. Sanders had six points and an assist during that key run to seal the victory.
Rarely Once, Hardly Ever Twice
Steve Fisher, now in his 13th full-season as a head coach, has compiled a rather impressive 72-12 record in non-conference home games. That includes a 35-9 mark at the helm of the Aztecs.
Only one non-conference opponent has defeated a Fisher-led club more than one time on the road. That team is Duke.
Fisher's 12 non-conference home defeats have come to Arizona, Ball State, Cal State Fullerton, Duke (twice), Eastern Washington, Pennsylvania, San Diego, Southern California, Texas Tech, Troy State, and Washington.
In addition, only three non-Mountain West Conference teams have defeated the Aztecs more than one time in Cox Arena (Fresno State, San Diego and USC).
A First Time for Everything
Getting back to the Portland game for a second. San Diego State won despite shooting less than 40 percent from the field and committing more turnovers, marking the first time in 19 such games during the Fisher era that SDSU claimed a victory when those two negative stats occurred.
Fast Conference Starts
San Diego State is looking to improve 2-0 in league play for the second consecutive season. The Aztecs have not won the first two league games in consecutive seasons since 1985 and 1986 when SDSU won the first two games in the WAC.
It has been seven seasons since the Aztecs won their first two home conference games. In 1996-97 San Diego State defeated Texas-El Paso (74-70) and Wyoming (82-75) to win the first two games of the WAC campaign.
Below is a look at SDSU's 2-0 league starts in the 34-season Division I era.
Year League Start Final Postseason1975 PCAA 4-0 14-13 NCAA1976 PCAA 4-0 16-13 NCAA1977 PCAA 2-0 13-15 none1980 WAC 2-0 6-21 none1985 WAC 4-0 23-8 NCAA1986 WAC 2-0 10-19 none1989 WAC 2-0 12-17 none1996 WAC 2-0 15-14 none2003 MWC 2-0 16-14 NIT, 2nd Rd.