March 10, 2008
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State Game Notes | SDSU Broadcast Flip Card
(5)Air Force (16-13/8-8 MWC) vs. (4)San Diego State (19-11/9-7 MWC)
Television: The Mtn. (Cox Cable channel 320) - Tim Neverett (play-by-play), Blaine Fowler (analysis), Marty Fletcher (sidelines)
Radio: XTRA Sports 1360 AM - Ted Leitner (play-by-play).
Fourth-Seeded Aztecs Look For Unprecedented Third MWC Championship; Face Fifth-Seeded Air Force for Second Time in Six Days in Thursday's Quarterfinals
San Diego State (19-11 overall; 9-7 Mountain West Conference), which overcame the graduation and departure of three all-conference performers and devastating injuries to continue its recent run of success, embarks on postseason play this week in the ninth annual Phillips 66 Mountain West Conference Championship in Las Vegas.
The fourth-seeded Aztecs will face fifth-seeded Air Force (16-13; 8-8 MWC) in the second quarterfinal round game on Thursday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. PDT at the Thomas & Mack Center.
San Diego State still has plenty to play for, in addition to the obvious NCAA automatic berth awaiting the MWC champion, the Aztecs are looking to secure their third consecutive 20-win campaign, something that has not occurred on The Mesa since the 1938-39, 1939-40 and 1940-41 campaigns.
The Aztecs are also looking for the security that comes with a 20th victory, as the 25 teams that have won at least 20 games have all advanced to postseason play in the first eight seasons of the Mountain West Conference.
San Diego State had won 20 games in a season just three times in its first 36 seasons as a Division I program, but ninth-year head coach Steve Fisher is on the cusp of leading the Aztecs to that magical mark for a third consecutive season - something that has not been accomplished on The Mesa since the 1938-39, 1939-40 and 1940-41 campaigns.
The Aztecs concluded the regular-season with a tough 46-43 loss at Air Force last Saturday at Clune Arena. SDSU, which scored just two points in the first 9:08 of the game and was 0-for-6 from the field with six turnovers when it scored its first field goal of the game with 10:52 remaining in the first half, shot just 34.1 percent from the field and was an uncharacteristic 9-of-18 from the free-throw line.
Nonetheless, San Diego State rallied from a seven-point deficit to take the lead and battled back from a nine-point second half deficit to pull within two points with under a minute to play. But junior forward Lorrenzo Wade could not convert a go-ahead straight-away three-pointer in the closing moments and the Falcons tacked on a free throw to provide the three-point final margin.
Despite the loss, a couple of Aztecs enjoyed big days. Freshman guard D.J. Gay continued his hot shooting, making a season-high tying five three-point field goals on 10 attempts and scoring a game-high 17 points. A native of Sun Valley, Calif., Gay has now connected on 19 of his last 31 three-point attempts (61.3 percent) over his last six games and is 23-of-39 (59.0 percent) over his nine contests. He has four double-digit scoring games in his last six outings (12.8 ppg) after scoring 10 or more in just four of his first 17 games.
Junior guard Richie Williams returned to the starting lineup for just the second time in his last seven games and responded with a game-high six assists (remember, SDSU had just 14 field goals in the entire game). It was his highest total since suffering a broken left wrist in late December which forced him to miss five games.
Although Wade suffered through a difficult shooting day (1-of-8 from the floor), he once again showed why he is one of the most versatile players on the West Coast. A native of Las Vegas, Nev., Wade had five assists, giving him 21 assists in his last three games (7.0 apg). On the season, the junior has produced games of 28 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists and four steals. Despite scoring a season-low six points against the Falcons, Wade has three games with 21 or more points in his last six outings.
Saturday marked the third, three-point defeat in Mountain West Conference play for an Aztec squad that has played shorthanded at times this season. San Diego State starters have combined to miss 44 games this season due to injury, illness or suspension (Tim Shelton 26, Kyle Spain 10 and Richie Williams 8).
Despite those challenges, the Aztecs sit on 19 victories, the sixth-highest total in the school's 38 Division I season. San Diego State which advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2006 and the NIT in 2007, is looking for a third consecutive postseason berth for the first time since 1940, 1941 and 1942.