Jan. 21, 2004
SAN DIEGO -
Complete Game Notes at Colorado State (Sat., Jan. 24) in PDF Format
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San Diego State (11-6 overall; 2-0 Mountain West Conference), winners of four of its last five games, off to a 2-0 league start for the 10th time in 34 seasons at the Division I level and one of 35 Division I teams unbeaten in conference play (through Tue.), looks to begin league play with three consecutive victories for the first time since 1985 when the Aztecs travel to Fort Collins to battle defending Mountain West Conference Tournament champion Colorado State (8-8; 0-3 MWC) on Saturday.
The match-up between the last two Mountain West Conference champions is scheduled for a 7 p.m. MST (6 p.m. PST) start, with the game televised by Channel 4 San Diego. The game can also be heard on XPRS-1090 AM (The Mighty 1090).
For the second consecutive season the Aztecs are off to a 2-0 conference start following victories over pre-season conference favorite Brigham Young (65-61) on Jan. 12 and UNLV (83-78) on Jan. 17. San Diego State claimed victories in its first two conference home games for the first time in seven seasons.
On Saturday afternoon, San Diego State overcame disadvantages in field goal percentage (47.7-51.9), rebounds (30-35) and free-throws made (14-17) and found a way to defeat UNLV, 83-78. The Aztecs tied a school record for most steals in a Mountain West Conference game with 12 and forced 22 Rebel turnovers in claiming the victory. Senior forward Aerick Sanders recorded his seventh double-double of the season with a game-high 23 points and a team-best 10 rebounds. Freshman Brandon Heath enjoyed his eighth 20+ scoring game of the season with 21 points and tied a career-high with five assists. Junior guard Wesley Stokes added 10 points and seven assists while freshman forward Marcus Slaughter posted 11 points, seven rebounds and two assists.
Colorado State fell to 8-8 on the season and 0-3 in MWC action following a 67-49 loss at Utah on Monday night. The Rams led at intermission and trailed by just seven points with 5:19 to play. Junior center Matt Nelson, who is suffering from a sprained right knee, scored 17 points in 24 minutes of action to lead CSU.
San Diego State opens the 2004 Mountain West Conference season with the three league teams that swept the Aztecs last season. Thus far, SDSU has avenged two of those three sweeps, going 2-0 in league play against teams that the Aztecs posted a 0-5 record against last season (0-2 vs. Brigham Young and 0-3 vs. UNLV). San Diego State plays its third straight "revenge" game on Saturday against Colorado State, a team that defeated the Aztecs 72-69 in Cox Arena on Feb. 1 and 102-89 in Fort Collins on Mar. 3.
Overall, Colorado State leads the series 32-15, including a 20-3 edge in Fort Collins. The Rams own a 5-3 series lead since the formation of the Mountain West Conference.
This begins a stretch of games in which the Aztecs will play five of their next seven on the road. San Diego State will play at Wyoming on Monday night before returning home to face Air Force (Sat., Jan. 31) and New Mexico (Mon., Feb. 2).
San Diego State Improves to 2-0 in MWC Play with 83-78 Victory over UNLV
SAN DIEGO - Aerick Sanders scored 23 points and Brandon Heath added 21 points, leading San Diego State to an 83-78 win over UNLV on Saturday.
The win allowed San Diego State (11-6, 2-0 Mountain West) to open conference play with two victories in consecutive years for the first time since the 1985 and 1986 seasons.
Heath and Sanders each hit key shots in the final 10 minutes and Wesley Stokes made two big plays after UNLV (9-5, 0-2) cut the lead to four late in the game.
Odartey Blankson had 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Rebels, who hit 51.9 percent of their shots but committed 22 turnovers.
The Aztecs led 63-59 when Heath scored on a fast-break layup, Sanders converted a rebound into a basket and Heath hit a 15-foot jumper for a 69-59 lead with 6:02 left in the game.
Sanders then converted two straight 3-point plays to give San Diego State its biggest lead, 75-63, at the 4:37 mark.
The Runnin' Rebels went on an 11-3 run to pull within four, 78-74, on James Peters' basket. But Stokes came right back and went the length of the floor for a layup.
On the Aztecs' next possession, Stokes fed Chris Walton for a basket off the fast break for an 82-74 lead with 1:46 remaining.
Stokes finished with 10 points and seven assists and Marcus Slaughter added 11 points and seven rebounds.
San Diego State had 12 steals and forced 22 Rebel turnovers in the game.
Noting the UNLV Game
- The attendance of 8,178 was the second largest home crowd of the season and 10th largest in Cox Arena history. It is the largest crowd ever to see an afternoon game at Cox Arena.
- San Diego State improves to 11-6 on the season, has won four of its last five games and is a season-best five games above .500.
- The Aztecs are 8-2 at home this season, have won four straight games at Cox Arena and have won four straight MWC games at home (dating back to last season). The four consecutive Mountain West home wins ties the school record for longest MWC home win streak (Feb. 11, 2002-Jan. 18, 2003 - Brigham Young, New Mexico, Air Force and Utah).
- The Aztecs are 5-2 in their last seven regular-season Mountain West Conference games dating back to last season.
- San Diego State has won its last encounter with five of the seven Mountain West Conference schools. Only Colorado State and Utah have won their most recent meeting with the Aztecs. San Diego State has opened the conference season by snapping Brigham Young's two-game series winning streak and UNLV's three-game series win streak.
- The Aztecs have won their first two games to open a league campaign for the 10th time (1975, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1996, 2003, 2004) in the school's 34 Division I seasons. San Diego State has opened league play with a 2-0 mark in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1985 and 1986 when SDSU competed in the Western Athletic Conference. An Aztec squad has not won at least three straight conference games to open a campaign since the 1985 squad won their first four WAC games.
- San Diego State has won its first two league home games for the first time in seven seasons. The last time the Aztecs won their first two home conference games was 1996-97, when SDSU defeated Texas-El Paso (74-70) and Wyoming (82-75).
- San Diego State's two conference wins this season have come against teams the Aztecs went 0-5 against last season.
- Steve Fisher is 67-69 in his fifth season at San Diego State. Two games below .500, is the closest Fisher has been to .500 at SDSU since he was 5-7. At one point, Fisher's mark was 16-35 (31.4 percent; 19 games below .500), but he has posted a 51-34 record (60.0 percent) since. This was career victory number 251 for Fisher, who is 100 games above .500 for his career (251-151).
- San Diego State records its seventh victory over the Rebels and now trail the series, 25-7. The win snapped a three-game series win streak for the Rebels and gave the Aztecs their first regular-season victory over UNLV since Feb. 24, 2001. (an 83-66 victory at Cox Arena). Prior to today, SDSU's last win over UNLV was in the championship game of the MWC tournament (March 9, 2002 in Las Vegas).
- Three of the Aztecs' seven victories in the series have come since Steve Fisher took over the program. The Aztecs were 3-20 against UNLV prior to the Aztecs win on Feb. 24, 2001, but since that time are 3-5 against the Rebels. - San Diego State's 12 steals matches the highest total in Aztec history in a Mountain West Conference game.
- Aerick Sanders recorded his seventh double-double of the season and the ninth of his career with 23 points and 10 rebounds. It marks the sixth 20+ scoring game for Sanders and the senior's ninth straight double-figure scoring game. Sanders was 10-of-11 from the floor, and also recorded three steals and two blocks.
- Brandon Heath recorded his 15th double-figure scoring game in 16 games this season. The freshman has scored 20 or more points in a Mountain West Conference best eight times this season and tied a career-high with five assists.
- Wesley Stokes posted seven assists and 10 points. Stokes has at least seven assists in six of his last seven games and five or more assists in 14 consecutive games.
- Marcus Slaughter hit double-figures in scoring for the third time in his career as he finished with 11 points and seven rebounds.
The Colorado State Series
- This is the 48th meeting between Colorado State and San Diego State, with the Rams owning a 32-15 advantage in the series.
- The Rams own a 20-3 edge in games played in Fort Collins. The Aztecs recorded victories on Feb. 5, 1981, Jan. 23, 1982 and Feb. 16, 2002. The Aztecs are 1-18 in their last 19 trips to Fort Collins, with an average margin of defeat in the 18 losses of 13.8 points. The Rams won 17 straight meetings in Fort Collins from Feb. 28, 1983 until Feb. 16,2002 when the Aztecs recorded a 75-63 victory at Moby Arena.
- Colorado State 's all-time advantage in the series comes from winning 23-of-26 meetings from Jan. 30, 1986 to Feb. 5, 2001.
- The Rams were one of three teams to sweep the season series from the Aztecs last season. San Diego State opens 2004 league play with the three opponents that the Aztecs went winless against last season Brigham Young (0-2), UNLV (0-3) and Colorado State (0-2). SDSU defeated both the Cougars and the Rebels in the first two conference games of the season.
The Last Meeting
FORT COLLINS, Colo. - Colorado State scored the most points ever by an Aztec opponent in MWC play and ended SDSU's three-game MWC win streak, 102-89, on March 3, 2003.
The Rams led by 22 points in the second half and posted the highest shooting percentage by an Aztec opponent in the 2002-03 season, connecting on 61.8 percent of its field-goal attempts.
SDSU came no closer than nine points in the second half as the Rams' hot shooting negated SDSU's 55.4 percent field-goal shooting and most points ever in a MWC contest.
Six early points by Mike Mackell helped propel the Aztecs to a 15-14 lead with 12 minutes to go in the first half. Matt Nelson gave CSU the lead for good and helped jump-start an 8-0 Rams run with a dunk at 11:11 left in the half.
The Rams shot 65.6 percent from the field in the first half (21-32) and made 6-of-8 three-pointers.
CSU maintained its large margin for the first 12-and-a-half minutes of the second. 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 and Mackell returned to his double-figure scoring form with 13 points. Evan Burns had 12 points to reach double-figures for the third straight game, while Deandre Moore added 10.
Among the National Leaders
Official NCAA statistics through the games of Monday, January 20, 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 eighth nationally in rebounding (10.4) and 10th in the country in field goal percentage (63.0).
Meanwhile, Stokes, who leads the conference in both assists and steals, is 15th nationally in assists per game at 6.3.
A Rare Double
For just the second time in school history, San Diego State defeated Brigham Young and UNLV at home in the same season.
The only other time it occured was in 1982, when the Aztecs defeated Brigham Young 80-66 on Jan. 28 and UNLV 81-68 on Feb. 6. That SDSU squad finished the season with a 20-9 record and advanced to the postseason NIT.
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 an 11-6 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
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.
- UNLV (W, 83-78) - UNLV has an advantage in field goal percentage, free throws made and rebounding. The Rebels shoot 51.9 percent from the field, yet San Diego State ties a MWC school record with 12 steals and forces 22 Rebel turnovers to win.
On the season, San Diego State has defied the numbers to win several times. Below is a look at the Aztecs situational record in Fisher's first four seasons vs. this season.
previous four seasons 2003-04Trailing at halftime 12-52 3-6SDSU is outrebounded 17-37 3-4Opponent has more FTA 19-43 3-3Opponent has higher FG Pct. 6-48 6-5SDSU shoots 40 pct. or less 4-29 4-2
Upcoming Milestones
Brandon Heath
- Needs one point to tie Michael Cage for seventh place on the school's all-time freshman scoring chart... Needs 14 points to tie Myron Epps for sixth place on the all-time freshman scoring list... Needs 25 points to tie Anthony Watson and Eddie Morris for fourth place on the all-time freshman scoring list
- Needs six points to reach 300 for the season and career
- Needs two steals to tie Evan Burns for sixth on the school's freshman chart... Needs six steals to tie Chad Nelson for fifth on the freshman steals chart
- Needs nine three-point field goals to tie Steve Sir for second place on the school's freshman chart for most three-point field goals
Aerick Sanders
- Needs four starts to reach 50 for his career
- Needs 40 rebounds to tie Larry Meek for 10th on the school's single-season chart
- Needs 41 rebounds to tie Von Jacobsen for 10th on the school's all-time chart
- Needs 56 more field goal attempts to be eligible for the school's career FG percentage list (at 56.8 percent, he would currently place second behind Leonard Allen).
- Needs 35 minutes played to pass the 2,000-minutes plateau
- Needs three blocked shots to become the fourth Aztecs player with 100 career blocks. That number would tie him with Marcelo Correa for fourth in school history
- Needs seven blocked shots to tie Marcus Banks for 10th place on the single-season blocked shot list
Marcus Slaughter
- Needs four rebounds for 100 in his career - Needs 15 rebounds to tie Marcelo Correa for 10th place on the school's freshman rebounding chart
Wesley Stokes
- Needs six rebounds to reach 200 for his career - Needs 55 points to reach 700 for his career - Needs 32 assists to tie Arthur Massey for 10th place on the school's single-season chart
Fast Conference Starts
San Diego State has opened conference play at 2-0 in for the second consecutive season. This is the first time the Aztecs have won the first two league games in consecutive seasons since 1985 and 1986 when SDSU won the first two games in the WAC.
It had been seven seasons since the Aztecs won their first two home conference games prior to SDSU accomplishing that this season with wins over Brigham Young and UNLV. 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.
The Aztecs have not opened league play with three straight victories since the 1984-85 NCAA squad began WAC play with a 4-0 record.
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.2004 MWC 2-0 11-6
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 48-32 (60.0 percent) since the beginning of the 2001-02 season and 62-46 (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 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.
- Below is a look at the Aztecs' records since the start of the 2000-01 campaign. The record on the right shows how many games it took San Diego State to win the same number of games prior to the 2000-01 season.
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 67-27 record through Monday'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 (14-3, 51 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 (11-4, 104 RPI) - Troy State hit 19 three-point field goals, the fourth 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.
- 18th-ranked Texas Tech (15-2, 7 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.
- 14th-ranked Arizona (11-3, 9 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 (6-8, 143 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 (10-7, 115 RPI) - Saint Mary's is 5-1 at home. The Aztecs trailed the entire second half, but 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 reaching the halfway point and San Diego State's lone scholarship senior has already posted some eye-popping numbers worthy of consideration for conference, regional and national honors.
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 eighth nationally in rebounds per game at 10.4 and 10th in the nation in field goal percentage at 63.0 percent.
Sanders, who entered the season never having recorded consecutive double-figure scoring games, is averaging 16.9 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. He has posted seven double-doubles this season and has 10+ points in 13 of his last 15 games, including a personal-best nine straight double-digit scoring games.
In addition, the Aztecs' lone returning starter from last season has made 47 consecutive starts dating back to last season. Other statistical information on Sanders:
- Sanders has 97 career blocked shots, good for 5th place in SDSU history (Leonard Allen holds the school record at 214).
- Sanders' 47 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 nine home games this season, he is averaging 19.3 points and 9.6 rebounds. Most remarkable, is the senior is shooting a red-hot 72.7 percent from the field, having connected on 80-of-110 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. In the contest against UNLV, Sanders connected on 10-of-11 field goal attempts en route to a 23-point, 10-rebound performance.
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 17.3 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 17 college games).
In addition to leading the team in scoring, he also ranked among the conference leaders in steals (30) 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."
It is hard to believe, but in just 17 games Heath is already climbing the Aztecs freshmen charts. He is currently eighth among Aztec freshmen and his 17.3 scoring average would top the all-time SDSU freshman chart.
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.
Aztec Tidbits
- San Diego State ranks 51st nationally in fewest turnovers per game at 13.6. The Aztecs were ranked 190 in 2001-02 and 177 in 2002-03 in that category.
- San Diego State is 10-2 this season when committing fewer turnovers and 1-4 when committing the same or more turnovers.
- San Diego State is 9-0 this season when allowing less than 76 points, 2-2 when allowing between 76-78 points and 0-4 when allowing more than 78 points.
- San Diego State is 8-0 this season when its opponent scores first (3-6 when the Aztecs score the first basket).
- San Diego State is a remarkable 6-5 when its opponent has a higher field goal percentage. The Aztecs are 5-1 when having an advantage in field goal percentage.
- San Diego State's current line-up of Slaughter, Walton, Sanders, Heath and Stokes is undefeated at 3-0.
- San Diego State has won 25 consecutive games when leading with five minutes to play in regulation.
- San Diego State has won 18 straight games when leading at the half.
- The Colorado State marks the eighth straight Aztec opponent to enter the game with a .500 or better record.
- San Diego State has won consecutive games for the fifth time this season but is still looking for its first three game winning streak.