Dec. 6, 2007
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State Game Notes | SDSU Broadcast Flip Card | Saint Mary's Game Notes
Saint Mary's (6-0/0-0 WCC) vs. San Diego State (8-1/0-0 MWC)
Television: Channel 4 San Diego, HDNet, Comcast SportsNet West.
Radio: AM 600 KOGO - Ted Leitner (play-by-play).
Aztecs Put Best Start in the Last 76 Seasons on the Line; Face 2nd-Ranked RPI Team Saint Mary's on Saturday in Anaheim 
Having matched the best start in its 38 Division I seasons and the best start since the 1931-32 team opened 8-0-1, San Diego State (8-1 overall; 0-0 MWC) makes the 93-mile journey north to battle undefeated Saint Mary's (6-0 overall; 0-0 WCC) in the opening game of the John R. Wooden Classic doubleheader at noon PT on Saturday.
The game is being syndicated nationally with two different broadcast teams calling the action. In the San Diego market, the game will be shown on Channel 4 San Diego. The game is available nationally on both major satellite providers through HDNet (DirecTV channel 79 and DISH channel 9422) and Comcast SportsNet West (DirecTV channel 656 and DISH channel 409). The flagship station of the Aztecs, AM 600 KOGO will have the radio call for the game.
On Tuesday night, San Diego State claimed its third consecutive victory with a 59-46 victory over UC Riverside. The Aztecs led by as many as 17 points in the game and enjoyed at least an eight-point lead the entire second half in running their homecourt winning streak to 10 games.
Junior guard Kelvin Davis reached double figures for the sixth time this season with a team-high 16 points and four rebounds. Junior guard Richie Williams, making his first start of the season and the 65th of his career, added 13 points and a season-high seven rebounds, while junior forward Lorrenzo Wade chipped in 14 points. For the second time in three games, SDSU played without junior forward Kyle Spain. The second-leading scorer on the team, Spain sat out the contest nursing a sprained ankle.
The Aztecs survived their worst shooting night of the season, connecting on just 34.0 percent from the floor. It marked just the 17th time in Steve Fisher's nine seasons that SDSU has won a game shooting 40 percent or less from the field.
A major reason the Aztecs pulled out the victory was the stellar play at the defensive end of the floor. San Diego State held UC Riverside to just 38.3 percent shooting from the floor and forced 22 turnovers on the strength of 10 steals. For the year, SDSU opponents are shooting just 42.4 percent and are averaging 17.9 turnovers per game.
The Aztecs continue to show remarkable balance. Through nine games, San Diego State has five players averaging in double figures, seven players averaging 8.2 points or more, eight players averaging 20 or more minutes and 10 players averaging 12 or more minutes.
Saint Mary's, currently ranked second in the RPI (through Wednesday's games), is a perfect 6-0 on the season. The Gaels have handed Oregon (99-87), Seton Hall (85-70) and Drake (72-66), their only losses to date. Five of Saint Mary's six victories have come by 12 or more points.
This marks just the seventh all-time meeting between the Gaels and the Aztecs, with the series tied at three wins apiece. Last season, the Aztecs overcame a seven-point deficit to claim a 74-73 victory at McKeon Pavilion. SDSU's all-time leading scorer Brandon Heath had 20 points, six rebounds and five assists, and made a pair of free throws with 17 seconds remaining.