Jan. 11, 2008
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State Game Notes | SDSU Broadcast Flip Card | New Mexico Game Notes
San Diego State (11-4/1-0 MWC) at New Mexico (14-2/1-0 MWC)
Television: The Mtn. (Cox Cable channel 320) - Bill Doleman (play-by-play), Dave Bollwinkel (analysis)
Radio: AM 600 KOGO - Ted Leitner (play-by-play).
Having Matched Best Start in 23 Seasons, Aztecs Travel to Albuquerque For Showdown Between Conference Unbeatens 
Having matched its best 15-game record in 23 seasons, San Diego State (11-4 overall; 1-0 MWC) travels to Albuquerque, N.M., to face New Mexico (14-2; 1-0 MWC) on Saturday in the only Mountain West Conference matchup between league unbeatens this weekend.
The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. MT start (6 p.m. PT) and the contest will be televised by The Mtn. (San Diego Cox cable channel 320). The contest can be heard on the Aztec radio flagship station AM 600 KOGO.
Despite a roster that features just one senior, the graduation of the MWC's all-time leading scorer Brandon Heath and all-league performer Mohamed Abukar, the Aztecs have matched their best 15-game record since the 1984-85 NCAA team opened the season 12-3. San Diego State has done so with a roster featuring 10 players averaging 12 or more minutes per game (although two starters, freshman Tim Shelton and three-year starter Richie Williams are currently injured).
The Aztecs are coming off a disappointing 62-56 home loss to Northern Colorado. The loss snapped San Diego State's Cox Arena-record winning streak of 13 games and marked the first home defeat for SDSU in 371 days.
San Diego State suffered from frigid shooting, connecting on just 38.3 percent from the field and was outrebounded 36-20 by the Bears. The Aztecs entered the game having outrebounded eight consecutive opponents, the longest streak of the Steve Fisher era.
The Aztecs were led by junior guard Kelvin Davis with 18 points. He came off the bench to connect on 4-of-6 three-point field goals and added three steals. Junior forward Kyle Spain posted his 28th double-figure scoring game with 16 points, while junior forward Lorrenzo Wade added 11 points and four assists.
The Aztecs rallied from a nine-point second-half deficit to claim the lead, but the Bears used a 10-0 run over a three-minute stretch beginning with 3:32 to play to take control of the game.
New Mexico is off to an impressive 14-2 start under first-year coach Steve Alford. The Lobos have won 10 straight games at home and seven in a row overall and are currently receiving votes in the top-25 polls. New Mexico is led by senior forward J.R. Giddens, who is averaging 12.9 points and 8.5 rebounds.
New Mexico has not played since last Saturday, when the Lobos posted a 99-92 double-overtime victory at Wyoming.
San Diego State and New Mexico are meeting for the 61st time, with the Lobos owning a 35-25 series advantage. The Aztecs have won the last four meetings, their longest series winning streak since claiming seven straight from 1981 through 1984. After posting a 3-20 record in its first 23 visits to Albuquerque, San Diego State has won on three of its last six visits to The Pit and has come away victorious the last two times (73-66 on Feb. 25, 2006 and 81-74 in overtime on Feb. 20, 2007).
New Mexico is 23-5 in their last 28 home games, with two of the losses during that stretch coming to the Aztecs. The Lobos are also an eye-popping 47-7 at The Pit in their last 54 home contests.
Following the game, San Diego State returns home to Cox Arena for a pair of games next week. On Wednesday, the Aztecs face one of the preseason MWC favorites Utah (10-4; 1-0 MWC) before playing host to Wyoming (6-7; 0-1 MWC) on Saturday.