March 2, 2007
SAN DIEGO - SAN DIEGO STATE GAME NOTES | SDSU BROADCAST FLIP CARD | TCU GAME NOTES | PURCHASE TICKETS
TCU (12-15/4-11 MWC) at San Diego State (20-9/9-6 MWC)
Television
The Mtn. Rich Cellini (play-by-play) and Rob Evans (analysis).
Channel Listings: Cox Cable San Diego 320.
Radio
XX Sports Radio 1090-AM and 105.7-FM. Ted Leitner (play-by-play) will call the action. Pregame coverage begins 30 minutes prior to tip-off with Jack Cronin serving as host.
Aztecs Try For Seventh Straight Home Win; Look to Send Heath & Abukar Out in Style vs. TCU on Saturday
San Diego State (20-9 overall; 9-6 MWC) looks to secure the third-seed in the upcoming MWC Championships when it bids farewell to three seniors who have helped lead the Aztecs to their most successful consecutive season in the Division I era and the winningest consecutive seasons in 40 years on Saturday afternoon against TCU (12-15 overall; 4-11 MWC).
Game time is set for 3 p.m. PST at Cox Arena and the contest will be televised by The Mtn. The game can also be heard up and down the West Coast on XX Sports Radio (1090-AM and 105.7-FM in San Diego).
Sending Brandon Heath, Mohamed Abukar and David Velasquez out with a victory in their final regular-season home game will not be easy as the Horned Frogs have won consecutive games over 13th-ranked Air Force (71-66) and Wyoming (77-58).
The Aztecs enter the game a half-game behind idle Air Force for third place in the conference. But despite starting 2-4 in MWC play, SDSU can earn the third seed with a win over TCU by virtue of owning the tie-breaker over the Academy (SDSU split with BYU, while the Cougars defeated the Falcons, twice).
On Tuesday, the Aztecs suffered just their second loss in the last nine games, as Utah handed San Diego State a 74-68 defeat. SDSU trailed 32-19 at intermission, but mounted a fierce comeback, cutting the deficit to five on seven different occasions. SDSU's best chance to close within a single possession came when Brandon Heath was unable to convert on a layup with 4:15 to play and Utah leading 64-59.
The Aztecs were a victim of Ricky Johns' finest game as a collegian as the Ute senior went for 30 points on the strength of 6-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc.
San Diego State was paced by senior forward Mohamed Abukar who had his third career double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds. He had 22 points and nine boards after intermission. Classmate Brandon Heath added 19 points and five rebounds for SDSU.
San Diego State has won six straight home games and 24 of their last 27 home games dating back to last season.
The Aztecs three seniors will be honored prior to the starting lineups on Saturday.
Heath (Los Angeles, Calif./Westchester High) has rewritten the Aztec record book as a four-year starter on Montezuma Mesa. The school and conference all-time leading scorer, the college graduate will go down as one of the all-time greats in SDSU history. Heath, who earned honorable mention Associated Press All-America honors and was named the league's MVP last season, ranks among the school's all-time leaders in nearly every category. For his career, he has (school rank in parenthesis) 2,116 points (1st), 210 steals (1st), 267 three-point field goals (2nd), 380 assists (3rd), 78.9 percent free throw shooter (8th) and 410 rebounds (20th, Div. I era). This year, Heath is averaging a career-high 19.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.
Abukar (San Diego, Calif./Rancho Bernardo High) has helped lead SDSU to unparallel heights after transferring from Florida. Since he became eligible in late December, 2006, the Aztecs have compiled a 37-14 record (72.5 percent). He has averaged 15.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists in 50 games in an Aztec uniform.
Velasquez (Sunnyvale, Calif./St. Francis High) is a familiar face around the basketball program. A fifth-year student manager, Velasquez was pressed into dressing when injuries depleted an already short Aztec bench. He has dressed the last nine games and has played in three games this season.