March 5, 2005
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State women's basketball team opens the 2005 Mountain West Conference Championships with a familiar foe in New Mexico, as the two sides tangle in quarterfinal action for the fourth time in the six-year history of the conference. The No. 8 seed Aztecs and No. 1 seed Lobos square-off this Wed., March 9, at noon (MST) in Denver, Colo. at the Pepsi Center. The game will be broadcast live on Channel 4 (TV) San Diego and via an audio webcast on www.goaztecs.com.
New Mexico and Utah tied for the regular season title with matching 12-2 marks, but the Lobos earned the tiebreaker because of their pair of victories over the Utes. The Utes, the No. 2 seed, face No. 7 seed Air Force on Wednesday at 6 p.m. (MST), while No. 4 seed Wyoming and No. 5 seed UNLV follow the Aztecs' game at 2:30 p.m. (MST). The third-seeded BYU Cougars take on No. 6 seed Colorado State in the final quarterfinal on Wednesday night at 8:30 p.m.
San Diego State fell in both of this season's previous meetings with New Mexico, dropping a 72-53 contest in San Diego on Jan. 29, and a 78-58 decision in Albuquerque on Feb. 24. The Lobos are 23-4 overall, 12-2 in MWC play and are receiving votes in both national polls.
The Aztecs and Lobos renew their Mountain West Conference tournament rivalry after a one-year absence. SDSU has faced New Mexico in the quarterfinals in 2001, 2002 and 2003, but has come up on the losing side in all three contests. The closest game was a five-point Aztec loss (54-49) in 2003 in Las Vegas.
SDSU travels to Denver on Tuesday morning and are scheduled to practice at the Pepsi Center beginning at 7 p.m. All practices in Denver are closed to the media, however, SDSU head coach Jim Tomey will be available twice on Monday for interviews, beginning with the MWC teleconference at 11:35 a.m., and followed by a press conference, slated for 12:15 p.m., at Cox Arena. Please contact the San Diego State Media Relations Department for more information.
2005 Mountain West Conference Tournament
Pepsi Center - Denver, Colo.
Wednesday, March 9 (all times MST)
Noon Women's Quarterfinal Game #1 (No. 1 New Mexico vs. No. 8 SDSU) 2:30 p.m. Women's Quarterfinal Game #2 (No. 4 Wyoming vs. No. 5 UNLV) 6:00 p.m. Women's Quarterfinal Game #3 (No. 2 Utah vs. No. 7 Air Force) 8:30 p.m. Women's Quarterfinal Game #4 (No. 3 BYU vs. No. 6 Colorado St.)
Friday, March 14 Noon Women's Semifinal Game #5 CSTV 2:30 p.m. Women's Semifinal Game #6 CSTV
Saturday, March 15 4 p.m. Women's Championship Game (Tape delayed on ESPN2)
SDSU games to be broadcast live (TV) on Channel 4 San Diego
San Diego State at the Mountain West Conference Tournament (0-5) 2000 (0-1) at Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nev. First Round: No. 2 BYU 78, No. 7 San Diego State 37
2001 (0-1) at Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nev. First Round: No. 3 New Mexico 55, No. 6 San Diego State 49
2002 (0-1) at Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nev. First Round: No. 2 New Mexico 65, No. 7 San Diego State 52
2003 (0-1) at Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nev. First Round: No. 2 New Mexico 54, No. 7 San Diego State 49
2004 (0-1) at Pepsi Center, Denver, Colo. First Round: No. 2 Utah 68, No. 7 San Diego State 51