Dec. 30, 2009
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State Game Notes | SDSU Broadcast Flip Card
Pomona-Pitzer (4-4/0-0 SCIAC) at San Diego State (10-3/0-0 MWC)
Television: None.
Radio: AM 600 KOGO - Ted Leitner (play-by-play).
SDSU Closes Out Most Successful Decade in School History with Final Non-Conference Contest of the Season; Hosts Pomona-Pitzer Thursday Afternoon
San Diego State (10-3) closes out the winningest decade in school history and its first decade above .500 since the 1970s, when the Aztecs play host to Division III Pomona-Pitzer (4-4) on Thursday (New Years Eve Day) at 1 p.m. PT.
There is no live television coverage for the contest. The game can be heard in Southern California on AM 600 KOGO with Ted Leitner providing the play-by-play. Live stats will also be available on GoAztecs.com.
San Diego State has matched its best 13-game record of the past 25 seasons. The Aztecs won for the seventh time in eight games on Tuesday night, holding off UC Riverside, 58-53. The Aztecs did not trail in the final 35:36 of the contest, led by as many as 10 points and the Highlanders had just two second-half possessions in which they were one score down. Nonetheless, the victory was not secured until freshman Kawhi Leonard made four free throws in the final 27 seconds and junior Malcolm Thomas recorded his sixth blocked shot of the contest.
Junior Billy White led the way with a team-high 13 points, making six of his eight attempts inside the three-point arc. He also added six rebounds. Leonard, who saw his double-figure rebound streak snapped at four games, had 12 points and six rebounds. The freshman now has five double digit scoring games in his last six outings and is averaging 11.6 rebounds in his last five games. Thomas, meanwhile, produced one of the best all-around stat lines in recent memory, scoring six points and adding a game-high seven rebounds, a career-high-tying six blocked shots (one off the school record and the most since 1991) and a career-high-tying four assists.
San Diego State continued its strong defensive play, limiting the Highlanders to 53 points on 41.5-percent field-goal shooting. The Aztecs forced 16 turnovers and blocked a season-high-tying 10 shots. The Aztecs struggled from the field, connecting on just 38.0 percent from the field, including a frigid 3-of-20 from three-point range. SDSU made only eight field goals after intermission.
Pomona-Pitzer is a Division III school located in Claremont, Calif. The Sagehens have made 11 trips to the NCAA Tournament and captured 11 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) championships, including nine since 1994. Pomona-Pitzer last played on Dec. 19, when they won at La Sierra, 72-53. David Liss made six three-point field goals and ended the contest with a game-high 26 points.
On the strength of four consecutive seasons with at least 20 wins, San Diego State has comprised a 179-137 record (56.6 percent) in games played during the 00s. It is an impressive record that becomes even more remarkable when considering the Aztecs opened the decade with losses in 17 of their first 18 games. SDSU has gone 74-27 (73.3 percent) in its last 101 games.