Jan. 26, 2014
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LOGAN, Utah - San Diego State Postgame Notes at Utah State
*** Final Edition
Final Score: No. 7/7 San Diego State 74, Utah State 69 (overtime)
Records: No. 7/7 San Diego State (18-1; 7-0 MW), Utah State (12-7; 2-5 MW)
Next Game: Saturday, Feb. 1 | vs. Colorado State | Viejas Arena (San Diego) | 4 p.m. PT | ESPNU
Player Note of the Night Senior guard Xavier Thames scored a acre-high and game-high 31 points and added a team-high four assists, three rebounds, a game-high three steals in 39 minutes of action. In overtime, he was 3-for-3 from the field, 1-for-1 from three-point range and 3-for-4 from the line. He scored 10 of SDSU's 17 overtime points.
Streaks
- San Diego State won its 17th straight game, which is the second-longest win streak in the 93 season of San Diego State Basketball.
- The 17-game win streak is the fourth-longest active streak nationally, trailing only Wichita State (21), Arizona (19) and Syracuse (19).
- San Diego State has won nine straight road/neutral games. It is tied for the nation's longest active streak. Michigan State also has won nine straight games and with a victory today, Wichita State could join the Aztecs and Spartans with nine straight road/neutral wins.
- The nine-game road/neutral win streak is tied for the second longest streak in school history.
- San Diego State is 15-1 in its last 16 overtime games. The Aztecs have won their last seven games that have gone to an extra session.
- Steve Fisher wins his 299th game at San Diego State. Only 17 active Division I coaches have won 300 games at their current school.
- San Diego State has won 10 straight games played during the month of January. This is the final game of the month for SDSU so that streak will remain intact until January, 2015.
- San Diego State has won seven consecutive conference games. That is tied for the third longest win streak in school history, one off matching the school record of (eight).
Season Record
- San Diego State's 18-1 record is its second-best record after 19 games in school history. The Aztecs opened the 2010-11 campaign 20-0.
- San Diego State improves to 7-0 in conference play for the first time in 44 seasons at the Division I level. The last time an Aztec squad opened league play 7-0 was in 1966-67 when SDSU was a member of the CCAA.
Utah State Series / Themed Notes
- San Diego State defeats Utah State for the first time in four all-time meetings between the schools.
- San Diego State hands Utah State just its 13th home loss in its last 137 home games dating back to March 2, 2006.
- San Diego State hands Utah State just its 14th conference home loss since the beginning of the 1996-97 season (covers the last 18 seasons).
Player Notes
Xavier Thames - career-high and game-high 31 points, team-high 4 assists, 3 rebounds, game-high 3 steals, season-high 39 minutes
Thames scored a career high 31 points, eclipsing his previous high of 29 against Marquette (12-1-13)... He led the Aztecs in scoring for the fourth consecutive game, the 14th time this season and the 20th time in his career... He reached the 30-point plateau for the first time in his career and he became the first Aztec player to reach the 30-point plateau since Chase Tapley scored 33 against San Francisco on Dec. 22, 2012... The 31 points are the fifth most for an Aztec player in a Mountain West Conference game (Brandon Heath (37 vs. UNLV, 2005 has the record)... Only Heath, Jamaal Franklin and Myron Epps have scored more points in a Mountain West game for the Aztecs... He reached the 20-point plateau for the fifth time this season and the eighth time in his career... Thames now has a team-high 17 double-figure scoring games this season and 49 in his career... He has 1,076 career points, 934 of which have come with the Aztecs... Had four assists and no turnovers in 39 minutes of action... He now has one turnover or less in five of his last six games... Led the team in assists for the 10th time this season and the 39th time in his career.. Had three steals, making the ninth time this season he has had multiple thefts in a game... Also set career highs for field goals made (10) and attempted (21)... Has three or more rebounds in three straight games (13 total)... Had 10 of SDSU's 17 points in overtime... SDSU had four overtime baskets, he made three of them and assisted on the other.
Thames Numbers Broken Down By Period
Points FGM-A 3FGM-A FTM-FTA Rebs. Asst. Steals Minutes1st Half 8 3-10 0-1 2-2 1 0 1 152nd Half 13 4-8 2-4 3-4 1 3 2 19Overtime 10 3-3 1-1 3-4 1 1 0 5TOTALS 31 10-21 3-6 8-10 3 4 3 39
Winston Shepard - 10 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
Shepard scored in double figures for the second straight game, the fifth time in six games, the 14th time this season and the 20th time in his career... He pulled down six rebounds, marking the fifth consecutive game he has six or more rebounds in a game (36 total)... Had six free throw attempts, marking the sixth consecutive game he has gotten to the line at least six times.
Josh Davis - 6 points, game-high 12 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 blocked shot, 1 assist
Davis extended the nation's longest active double-figure rebound streak to 13 games with a team-high 12 rebounds... Scored six points, including four in the second half, including SDSU's final field goal in regulation.
Skylar Spencer - 7 points, 4 rebounds, game-high 3 blocked shots
Spencer blocked three shots, marking his 13th multiple-block game this season... He has three or more blocks eight times this season... He has 10 blocked shots in his last four games... Has made 10 of his last 12 field goal attempts (83.3 percent) over his last three games... Last three games: 25 points, 15 rebound and eight blocked shots... Had a dunk to open the overtime period.
Road Warriors
- This season, San Diego State has road victories at (2013-14 home record in parentheses and does not include SDSU game): San Diego (6-2), Colorado State (11-3), Kansas (8-0), Air Force (7-4), San Jose State (4-3) and Utah State (10-1). San Diego State is 6-0 in road games against teams that are a combined 46-13 (78.0 percent) against the rest of the country in home games.
- San Diego State is 31-11 in its 42 road games since March 6, 2010. That is the third best record in the country during that span, eclipsed by only Kansas and Wichita State.
- San Diego State is 33-6 in its last 39 road games against unranked opponents.
Trends
- San Diego State is 15-0 this season and 49-2 in its last 51 games in which it has been leading at the half.
- San Diego State is 3-13 the last 16 times it has trailed with five minutes to play. The Aztecs have won 109 straight when leading with five minutes left.
- San Diego State was outrebounded for just the fifth time this season (4-1 in those games).
- The Aztecs were +11 in turnover margin tonight (6-17), and is now 13-1 this season when owning an advantage in that category.
- The Aztecs are 15-1 this season and winners of 14 straight when attempting more free throws in a game (attempts: SDSU 29, Utah State 7).
- The Aztecs are 6-1 this season when the opponent has a better shooting percentage than SDSU.
- San Diego State has won twice this season and 22 times in the Fisher era when the opponent shoots 50 percent or better from the field.
Random Notes
- San Diego State improves to 3-0 this season when wearing the black uniforms. The Aztecs wore black unis in roads wins at San Diego and at Kansas. SDSU is 20-10 in its last 30 games in the "blacks".
- San Diego State is 3-0 in games played in the Mountain Time Zone this season. The Aztecs have wins at Colorado State, Air Force and Utah State. The Red & Black has three more games in the mountains this season, beginning with a trip to Boise State on Feb. 5.