Feb. 23, 2018
SAN DIEGO -
SDSU Men's Basketball Game Notes | SDSU Broadcast Flip Card
NEWS AND NOTES (Through games of Thursday, Feb. 22)
* Playing its most consistent basketball of the season and riding a three-game Mountain West winning streak (matching its longest winning streak since the 2015-16 campaign), San Diego State faces San José State in its final regular-season road game of the season Saturday night.
* SDSU, which enters play Saturday in a three-way tie for fifth place in the Mountain West, is one game out of fourth place and two games in back of third place. The Aztecs end the regular season with a pair of home games next week, hosting Boise State on Tuesday and No. 20/22 Nevada on Saturday.
* San Diego State is a victory away from extending its Mountain West streak of finishing with a .500-or-better league record. SDSU, which has won a league-high 10 leaguie championships, has finished with a .500-or-better league mark each of the last 13 seasons (last time SDSU did not finish at or above .500 was 2004-05). The next longest active streak among conference schools is Boise State, which extended its streak to six seasons this year.
* The Aztecs ran their winning streak to three games with a 67-56 victory at Air Force on Wednesday night. SDSU held the Falcons to 39.6-percent shooting from the field, allowed only eight two-point field goals and forced 15 turnovers in the contest.
* SDSU narrowly missed shooting 50 percent from the field for a third consecutive game for the first time since January of 2006. The Aztecs, who shot 53.2 percent in a 10-point victory over Wyoming and 50.7 percent in a 38-point win over UNLV, connected on 26-of-54 attempts at Air Force (48.1 percent).
* Getting close to 50 percent was a remarkable accomplishment considering SDSU went 28 consecutive field-goal attempts in the first half without making consecutive shots. SDSU responded in the second half by shooting 16-of-25 from the floor (64.0 percent).
* Helping San Diego State shoot 64.0 percent in the second half at Air Force was freshman Matt Mitchell. The forward made his first four shots, including a trio of three-pointers, to help SDSU to a 13-2 second-half opening run. The Aztec blitz turned a three-point lead at halftime into a 39-25 advantage just 2:58 into the half. Mitchell finished with a game-high 17 points (6-7 FG, 4-5 3FG).
* In his last two games (vs. UNLV, at Air Force), Mitchell has made 13-of-16 from the field (81.3 percent) and 6-of-8 from three-point distance (75.0 percent).
* Senior Trey Kell has been impressive since his return from a left ankle injury that forced him to miss three games. The guard has 20 assists in his last three games, including a career-high eight at Air Force. In 76 minutes since his return to the hardwood, Kell has committed just two turnovers.
* Kell, who tallied six assists in games vs. Wyoming and UNLV, and eight at Air Force, is the first Aztec to have at least six assists in three straight games since Xavier Thames during the 2011-12 season.
* The Aztecs will return to The Event Center looking to avenge last season's 76-71 loss to the Spartans. San Diego State defeated SJSU earlier this year, 85-49, at Viejas Arena behind a 53.0-percent shooting performance.
* San Diego State is 7-1 vs. San José State since the Spartans joined the Mountain West in time for the 2013-14 campaign.