Dec. 19, 2005
SAN DIEGO - SAN DIEGO STATE GAME NOTES | UMBC GAME NOTES | SDSU BROADCAST FLIP CARD
UMBC (4-4/1-0 AEC) at San Diego State (5-4/0-0 MWC)
Television
None
Radio
CASH 1700-AM, San Diego
San Diego State Looks For Its Second Consecutive Victory Tuesday Night As It Hosts UMBC At Cox Arena
San Diego State (5-4) looks for its second consecutive victory Tuesday night against Maryland-Baltimore County (4-4/1-0 America East) at Cox Arena.
The game is the first-ever meeting between the two schools and is part of a women's and men's basketball doubleheader. The women's team is slated to play Boise State at 5:30 p.m. PST with the men to follow at 8 p.m. PST. One ticket to either the women's or men's game will allow fans to watch both games. There is no television coverage for either game, but the SDSU-UMBC game can be heard on CASH 1700-AM beginning at 7:30 p.m. PST with Aztec Pregame.
San Diego State recently snapped its two-game losing streak, both to Pacific-10 Conference opponents, as it posted a 66-54 victory last Saturday over long-time rival UC Santa Barbara at Cox Arena.
The Aztecs led wire-to-wire and went into the halftime break leading the Gauchos by 10, 28-18. The 18 points allowed by San Diego State was its lowest point total allowed after one half this season and was the lowest since Nov. 21, 2003, versus Long Beach State when SDSU allowed 15 first half points. Even with the halftime lead, SDSU found itself without arguably its best player in junior forward Marcus Slaughter.
The preseason Mountain West Conference player of the year played only eight minutes after he sprained his left knee going after a rebound. The injury forced him to leave the game and he would not return.
With the loss of Slaughter, SDSU got solid contributions from its freshman frontcourt. Kyle Spain, the MWC player of the week, scored a career-high 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting, grabbed seven rebounds and recorded five steals. Brett Hoerner, in his first extensive minutes of the season, scored nine points (3-4 FGs) and had two steals in 14 minutes of action. In all, the Aztec frontcourt scored 44 points on 20-of-29 shooting.
The game also marked the return of senior forward Trimaine Davis. The team captain came off the bench to score six points (3-4 FGs) in 25 minutes. Davis had miss the previous four games due to knee surgery to remove a loose bone chip.
Maryland-Baltimore County visits Montezuma Mesa with a 4-4 record and are winners of two straight. The Retrievers have most recently defeated Stony Brook (72-57) and William & Mary (64-60), both home games, with the SDSU game marking the first of four games on the road. Three of UMBC's four losses have come on the road.
Tuesday's game will be the Aztecs second of the season against an America East opponent. Earlier this season, SDSU defeated preseason conference favorite Albany, 80-53, at Cox Arena (Nov. 26).
The contest against the Retrievers is the last of a three-game homestand for the Aztecs. Next up for SDSU is a trip to Rhode Island, where it will face Big East member Providence on Dec. 27.