Dec. 11, 2016
SAN DIEGO -
SDSU Men's Basketball Game Notes | SDSU Broadcast Flip Card
NEWS AND NOTES
* San Diego State will play its second game in three days and its last before taking 10 days off for final examinations on Monday night when it welcomes Alabama State to Viejas Arena at 7 p.m. PT. Campus Insiders will broadcast the game with Ray Crawford and Jordan Cornette on the call. Ted Leitner will handle radio duties on The Mighty 1090 and 105.7 MAX FM.
* Campus Insiders' broadcast of the game will also be available for live viewing on Twitter. The unique URL is https://twitter.com/i/live/806643419296563201 and the official hashtag for the contest is #ASUvsSDSU.
* The Aztecs are looking to stop a three-game losing streak and are coming off a 74-63 home defeat to Arizona State on Saturday. San Diego State led at halftime, 32-25, but were outscored in the second half, 49-31, to leave SDSU with a 4-4 record after eight games.
* San Diego State, for the third straight game, allowed its foe to shoot 50 percent or better from the field in the second half. The Sun Devils in the final frame shot 50 percent from the floor (15-30), 50 percent from three-point range (7-14) and 100 percent from the free-throw line (12-12) to erase SDSU's seven-point halftime lead and complete the rally.
* In building their halftime lead, the Aztecs made nearly half of their of shot attempts (.462) and were perfect from the free-throw line (6-6), while holding Arizona State to 37.5-percent shooting. SDSU also forced 13 first-half turnovers, which led to 15 points. Trey Kell, alone, had four steals in 16 minutes before finishing with a career-high five.
* San Diego State completed the afternoon with Arizona State with a season-high 12 steals and it shot a season-best 83.3 percent from the charity stripe (15-18).
* Kell was 4-for-4 from the free-throw line vs. Arizona State to help him score 20 points, which led all players. It was his second 20-point performance of the season. In addition to his game-high five steals, Kell totaled four rebounds and one assist. Max Hoetzel (12 points, career-high four three-pointers) and Jeremy Hemsley (10 points) joined Kell in the double-figure scoring column.
* San Diego State will be in search of a win at a place where they have rarely lost over the last several seasons. Since the start of the 2008-09 campaign, the Aztecs are 124-14 at Viejas Arena. Their .899 home winning percentage since that season is the eighth best nationally through Dec. 10 games.
* The Aztecs are looking to get back on the winning track against a first-time opponent in Alabama State. The Hornets come to Montezuma Mesa well rested, having not played since losing at Troy, 83-65, back on Dec. 4.
* The road will not be an unfamiliar place for Alabama State. Of its eight games played, only one has been at home. The Hornets have played five true road games and two at neutral sites.
* Alabama State will be the second first-time foe San Diego State has played this season and the Aztecs are looking for a similar result. SDSU clashed with Savannah State for the first time on Nov. 28, and earned a 100-67 victory. San Diego State has won three straight regular-season games vs. first-time opponents.
* SDSU is 3-0 all-time vs. Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) teams inside Viejas Arena. The last time the Aztecs played host to a SWAC school was Dec. 3, 2012, when Texas Southern visited. San Diego State won that contest, 74-62.
* As mentioned earlier, the Aztecs will take time off following the game for final exams. San Diego State will not return to action until Dec. 22, when it faces Southern Miss in the opening game of the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. The 2 p.m. HT contest will air on ESPN2. SDSU were finalists the last time it played in the event back in 2012.