Dec. 14, 2004
SAN DIEGO -
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San Diego State (4-3) takes a break from final examinations for a Tuesday night game against Saint Mary's (6-4) at Cox Arena. Game time is set for 7:05 p.m.
There is no live television coverage for the contest, marking the final regular-season game that will not appear on TV this season. The final 19 regular season games plus all Mountain West Conference Championship games will be televised. The game can be heard on XPRS- 090 AM (The Mighty 1090).
San Diego State will be looking to snap a two-game losing streak after a disappointing 60-57 loss to California on Saturday in the inaugural San Diego SLAM presented byPerfectWave Technologies. The Aztecs used a 12-3 run to close within a point at 48-47 with 5:55 to play but were unable to pull out the victory. San Diego State shot just 35.0 percent from the field and was outrebounded 37-30 in the contest.
Sophomore forward Marcus Slaughter, who leads the Mountain West Conference in scoring, had game-highs with 18 points and nine rebounds. Sophomore guard Brandon Heath added 14 points for SDSU as the non-seniors accounted for 55 of the Aztecs' 57 points.
Saint Mary's is 6-4 this season, making an impressive run into the semifinals of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. The Gaels, ranked 75th in the RPI as of Monday, have losses to nationally-ranked opponents Mississippi State and Memphis (at Madison Square Garden in New York City), an eight-point loss at Rutgers and a seven-point loss to undefeated Hawai'i last Saturday.
Tuesday will mark just the fifth time the teams have played, with the series knotted at two wins apiece. Each team owns a 1-1 record as the home team. Last season, the Gaels connected on 20 of 23 free throws after intermission en route to an 80-66 win. The Aztecs outscored Saint Mary's from the field, 54-53, but were unable to overcome a 27-12 scoring disadvantage at the free throw line. Guard E.J. Rowland led four Saint Mary's players in double figures with 17 points, while forward Chris Walton had a team-high 13 points for SDSU.
This is the second of four consecutive games against teams from the state of California for the Aztecs. San Diego State is 3-2 currently against the Golden State, playing a total of eight of its first 10 games against teams from the state.
San Diego State is 17-3 in its last 20 December home games with losses to top-ranked Arizona (89-81 on Dec. 7, 2002), Washington (92-81 on Dec. 27, 2003) and California (60-57 on Dec. 11, 2004). That gives the Aztecs a 17-game home court winning streak during the month against non-Pac-10 teams. The Aztecs have not dropped consecutive December home games since 1998, going 28 straight home games in the final month of the calendar year without dropping consecutive home contests. San Diego State is 6-1 in its last seven December home games against teams from the state of California, with the lone loss coming last Saturday against the Golden Bears.
The schedule does not get any easier for San Diego State, as beginning Tuesday, three (Saint Mary's, Iowa State and Providence) of the Aztecs' next five opponents are ranked among the top 75 of the RPI and this is the third of seven (Washington, California, Saint Mary's, Loyola Marymount, Cal State Fullerton, Iowa State and Providence) consecutive games against teams that currently have a record of .500 or better.