Feb. 11, 2011
SAN DIEGO -
No. 6 San Diego State-UNLV Game Notes in PDF Format | SDSU Broadcast Flip in PDF Format
San Diego State and UNLV Meet Saturday In A Rematch of the 2010 Mountain West Conference Championship Game at The Thomas & Mack
The two teams that competed for the 2010 Mountain West Conference tournament championship 336 days ago (as of game day), cross paths again on Saturday at the same site as sixth-ranked San Diego State (24-1 overall; 9-1 MWC) faces UNLV (18-6 overall; 6-4 MWC) at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas in a match up between top-25 RPI teams.
Game time is set for 5 p.m. PT and the game will be televised in high definition by CBS College Sports (San Diego Cox Cable 321, San Diego Time Warner 415, DirecTV channel 613, Dish Network channel 152, AT&T U-Verse 1643) and simulcast in the San Diego market on Channel 4 San Diego and in Orange County on Cox 3. The game can also be heard on radio in Southern California on AM 600 KOGO.
On Tuesday night, San Diego State claimed its fourth straight victory, its 17th consecutive win at Viejas Arena and its 33rd straight victory against an unranked team with an 85-53 victory over Utah. It was a school-record fourth straight win over the Utes as the Aztecs trailed for only 29 seconds during the game. SDSU raced out to leads of 21-8 and 28-9 en route to building a 34-point advantage. The 31-point margin of victory was the largest ever for SDSU over Utah.
Despite having two players out due to injury (sophomore guard Chase Tapley (left ankle) and junior forward Tim Shelton (right foot)), San Diego State placed five players in double figures in scoring and had three players reach double digits in rebounds. Senior forward and Las Vegas native, Billy White, had 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field. Senior guard D.J. Gay ran his turnover-free streak to 118 minutes and added 15 points, six assists and five steals. He has 17 assists since his last turnover. Freshman guard Jamaal Franklin came off the bench to post career highs with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore forward Kawhi Leonard posted his ninth double-double in 11 games, his 17th of the season and the 34th of his career, with 12 points and 14 rebounds. Senior center Brian Carlwell scored 10 points, including three dunks.
In the game, San Diego State committed a season-low tying four turnovers and had a 23-0 advantage in points off turnovers. The Aztecs also held the Utes to 35.5 percent shooting, marking the 16th time this season an opponent has failed to shoot above 40 percent against SDSU. It was also the 16th time this season SDSU has held the opposition below 60 points.
Saturday marks the 51st meeting between the teams with UNLV owning a 32-18 series lead. The Aztecs have won three straight in the series (SDSU has never won four straight meetings with the Rebels) and six of the last seven encounters, including a hard-fought 55-49 victory on Jan. 12 at Viejas Arena. SDSU defeated UNLV on its home court last season to claim the 2010 MWC championship, 55-45, on March 13. Leonard averages 14.3 points, 15.5 rebounds vs. UNLV and has posted four consecutive double-doubles in four career games against the Runnin' Rebels. SDSU has defeated UNLV in three of its last four visits to the Thomas & Mack. Since Dec. 17, 2008, SDSU is 3-1 at UNLV, while the rest of the country is 6-33.