Nov. 12, 2006
MORAGA, Calif. - SAN DIEGO STATE GAME NOTES | BROADCAST FLIP
Seattle Pacific (1-1) vs. San Diego State (2-0)
Television
None
Radio
XX Sports Radio 1090 AM/105.7 FM - Chris Ello
San Diego State Looks to Stay Undefeated as it Faces Seattle Pacific in Shamrock Invite Finale
After escaping with a 74-73 victory over Saint Mary's Saturday night at the Shamrock Invitational, San Diego State (2-0) will look to start a season with three consecutive wins for the first time since 1994-95 when it takes on Division II Seattle Pacific (1-1) Sunday at McKeon Pavilion.
Game time is set for 5 p.m. and can be heard on XX Sports Radio 1090 AM/105.7 FM with Chris Ello calling play-by-play.
The win on Saturday night marked just the second time the Aztecs have started a season with two consecutive victories since 2003-04 and is just the third time in the Steve Fisher era. It is also just the third time in last 11 seasons that SDSU has started a season with a 2-0 mark.
In defeating the Gaels, the Aztecs snapped a two-game losing to Saint Mary's in the series and under Steve Fisher. The win marked the first time since Nov. 28, 1983, that San Diego State beat Saint Mary's in any game and in Moraga. The victory allowed the scarlet and black to knot the all-time series at three apiece.
The win over the Gaels did not come easy as the Aztecs were forced to come back from a four-point deficit at halftime. Senior and preseason first-team all-Mountain West Conference honoree Mohamed Abukar led the way with a game-high 21 points and team-high seven rebounds, while Brandon Heath scored 20 points and dished out six assists. Despite battling foul trouble in the first half, Lorrenzo Wade came back to contribute 12 points and provided a valuable defensive stop with under a minute to play to help SDSU seal the victory.
The Aztecs' win also helped head coach Steve Fisher move above .500 in his SDSU career. In his eighth season, Fisher is now 107-106 and is just the second time during his stay on Montezuma Mesa that the national championship coach has a record above .500.
Seattle Pacific, meanwhile, is coming off an impressive win over Murray State on Saturday evening. The Division II school defeated the Racers by a 76-68 score and comes into the SDSU game with nothing to lose as its games against DI institutions count as only exhibitions.
San Diego State and Seattle Pacific are meeting for just the second time in school history. The Falcons own a 1-0 series lead over the Aztecs and the two have not met since SPU won on Dec. 19, 1964.
A win to close out the Shamrock Invitational will give the Aztecs their first perfect record in an in-season event under Steve Fisher.
Following tonight's game, SDSU will fly back to "America's Finest City" in preparation for UC San Diego on Wednesday night. The Aztecs-Tritons contest is set for Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. inside Cox Arena and can be seen on The mtn.