Nov. 3, 2009
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State men's basketball team opened the 2009-10 campaign Tuesday night with a 72-57 victory over Cal Baptist at Viejas Arena. The victory was the 14th consecutive exhibition win for the Aztecs.
Junior guard D.J. Gay connected on five three-point field goals and scored a team-high 18 points and added four assists. Sophomore forward Tyrone Shelley, meanwhile, connected on 7-of-9 field goal attempts and added 17 points and a team-high nine rebounds. In all, six Aztec players contributed eight or more points in the game for an Aztec squad that had just eight players log minutes on the night.
Cal Baptist, which spent part of last season ranked as the number one team in the nation at the NAIA level and received top 25 votes in the preseason poll this season, scored the first 12 points of the game and led the majority of the first half. The Aztecs chipped away at the deficit, taking their first lead on a Kelvin Davis free throw with 41 seconds remaining in the first half.
San Diego State never trailed again, although the Lancers did cut the Aztec advantage to five points with 7:28 to play. SDSU responded with an 8-0 run, eventually building the advantage to 15 points.
The Aztecs played tonight's game without players that received preseason Mountain West Conference first-team all-conference honors, second-team all-conference honors and newcomer of the year accolades.
Junior forward Billy White, San Diego State's top returning scorer and a preseason member of the Mountain West all-conference team, did not suit up for tonight's game. White is suffering from a wrist injury and has seen limited time in practice the last two weeks. Sophomore forward Tim Shelton, the Aztecs' top returning rebounder from last season and a second-team all-conference selection by Lindy's, was sidelined tonight due to a knee injury. Also absent from tonight's game was Blue Ribbon's MWC newcomer of the year junior forward Malcolm Thomas, who is also suffering from a knee injury.
Counting Thomas' freshman numbers at Pepperdine, the Aztecs played without a trio of players that combined to average 29.2 points and 17.3 rebounds in their last season of Division I basketball.
A fourth Aztec player, Kawhi Leonard, did not play in the second half due to illness. Leonard, who was ill yesterday in practice, connected on his first three field-goal attempts and scored eight points and added three rebounds and two assists in just 19 minutes of action.
San Diego State returns to action next Tuesday night when the Aztecs play host to Point Loma Nazarene. Game time is set for 7 p.m. PT. SDSU opens the regular-season on Sat., Nov. 14th against UC San Diego.
For more information on single-game tickets, season tickets and mini-plans, contact the Aztec Ticket Office at (619) 283-7378.
NOTES: San Diego State dressed just 10 players for tonight's game, two of whom played in the spring semester of 2009 as scholarship players (D.J. Gay and Mehdi Cheriet)... The Aztecs starters were junior guard D.J. Gay, senior guard Kelvin Davis, sophomore forward Tyrone Shelley, freshman forward Kawhi Leonard and junior center Brian Carlwell... Other than Gay, Davis was the only San Diego State player that has started a regular-season game for the Aztecs... Davis started five games during the 2007-08 campaign... The Aztecs starting five scored a total of 237 points for SDSU last season (an average of 6.6 points per game)... The NIT national semifinal banner will be unveiled at the regular-season opener against UC San Diego on Sat., Nov. 14... The Lancers scored the first 12 points of the game... Cal Baptist scored 10 points before the Aztecs had attempted a shot... San Diego State's first basket of the game came at the 16:37 mark on a three-pointer from Davis... Leonard scored his first Aztec points at the 16:01 of the first half... Leonard made his first three field goal attempts before having a 16-footer rim out on him from the right wing... The Aztecs took their first lead of the game with 41 seconds remaining in the first half on a pair of free throws from Davis... San Diego State led 25-24 at intermission... Tonight's attendance was 4,365.