March 1, 2004
Complete Game Notes at Air Force (Mon., March 1) in PDF Format
Game No. 28
San Diego St. (14-13/5-7) at Air Force (20-5/10-2)
Monday, March 1, 2004
7:00 p.m. MST announced
6:00 p.m. PST announced
Clune Arena (5,939)
Colorado Springs, Colo.
Television
Channel 4 San Diego. Chris Marlowe (play-by-play), Jim Brogan (analysis), Nick Davis (producer). The game will be seen throughout San Diego County on Channel 4 San Diego.
Radio
XPRS-1090 AM, San Diego (The Mighty 1090). John Fricke (play-by-play), Dave Marcus (producer).
Series
This will be the "Golden Anniversary Game" as the teams will meet for the 50th time. San Diego State leads the series 35-14 and has won three of the last four games and five of the last seven games between the teams. Air Force won the earlier encounter this season, 57-43, at Cox Arena on Jan. 31.
In Colorado Springs
SDSU has a 14-8 edge in games played in Colorado Springs. The Aztecs won last season at Clune Arena and has left victorious in two of their last three trips to the Academy.
Aztecs Seek Third Win in Last Four Trips to Clune Arena and Look to End Falcons' 13-Game Homecourt Win Streak on Senior Night
San Diego State (14-13 overall; 5-7 Mountain West Conference) looks to accomplish something no team has been able to do this season when the Aztecs battle Air Force (20-5; 10-2 MWC) on Monday night at Clune Arena.
The Falcons, which earned at least a share of the Mountain West Conference regular-season title on Saturday with a 72-70 victory over UNLV, are trying to complete an undefeated home season as Air Force celebrates Senior Night on Monday. The Falcons are 12-0 at Clune Arena this season and have won 13 straight dating back to last season.
San Diego State had a two-game winning streak snapped on Saturday in a 72-60 loss at New Mexico. The game was tight throughout the first half, with three ties and eight lead changes, but could not overcome a stretch of 2-for-26 field goal shooting over the beginning of the first half and the start of the second half. The Aztecs were outscored 27-6 during the drought and were never able to recover. Junior guard Wesley Stokes continued his strong play of late with a team-high 15 points and a game-high seven assists. Senior forward Aerick Sanders was the only other SDSU player in double figures with 10 points and seven rebounds.
Both teams have plenty to play entering the final week of the regular season. Air Force will celebrate the best season in school history on Monday night with its final home game, look to clinch the league title outright and look to complete a perfect home season. The Aztecs will be playing for tournament seeding (SDSU could still finish anywhere from fourth to a tie for sixth), attempting to get a step closer to clinching a fourth consecutive .500 or better season and third straight winning season and trying to continue the eerily similar path of the 2002 NCAA Tournament team.
Among the similarities between the 2001-02 and 2003-04 conference seasons are: identical record after nine MWC games (3-6), two overtime losses in the first six league defeats, victories in game numbers 10 and 11 over Wyoming and Colorado State, a road loss in game 12 (2002 at UNLV and 2004 at New Mexico). This game provides the Aztecs with another chance to draw a parallel to the '02 team. That season, SDSU won at conference champion Wyoming, providing the Cowboys their only league loss of the season. The Aztecs have that opportunity with the Falcons on Monday.
Monday marks the 50th meeting between the two teams. The Falcons snapped San Diego State's three-game series winning streak earlier this season with a 57-43 win at Cox Arena on Jan. 31. Despite the loss, SDSU has still won three of the last four and five of the last seven contests between the teams.