SAN DIEGO – Looking for its second neutral site win in three tries this year, San Diego State's men's basketball team plays in the opening game of the Cheez It Jerry Colangelo Classic on Friday evening in the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Ariz., against the Saint Mary's College Gaels.
OFF THE BOUNCE
Owners of the nation's ninth-best winning percentage in regular season neutral site games since the start of the 2009-10 campaign, San Diego State plays its third of three neutral site games this season, when the Aztecs face off against Saint Mary's at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Ariz. on Friday evening.
San Diego State has won 8 of its last 11 games against the West Coast Conference and is 2-0 during that span in neutral site games, including last year's 74-49 victory over the Gaels at Cal Poly. In that game, Nathan Mensah finished with 18 points, 13 rebounds and 6 blocks. He was one of three players last year to post that stat line and among them had the best shooting .889 (8-of-9 FGs) & free throw percentage 1.000 (2-of-2).
San Diego State will play two teams from the West Coast Conference this season, Brigham Young and Saint Mary's. Since the start of the 2009-10 season, SDSU is 21-6 against West Coast Conference opposition, including 2-1 vs. the Gaels. In those three games, the Aztecs are outscoring Saint Mary's by an average of 5.7 points per game.
Since the beginning of the 2009-10 campaign, San Diego State's 25-9 regular season neutral court record is ninth nationally.
San Diego State continues to be an elite defensive team. Nationally, according to KenPom, the Aztecs are 9th in defensive efficiency, 17th in field goal percentage defense and 31st in 3-point percentage defense. San Diego State has held seven of its nine opponents to less than 39.3 shooting from the field and denied Long Beach State a 3-point field goal on all its 11 attempts.
San Diego State will be without sophomore guard Lamont Butler for the third consecutive game. Butler, who had 11 points, three assists and three steals in the Long Beach State, suffered a wrist injury and missed both the Michigan and Cal State Fullerton contests. For the season, the sophomore is averaging 9.7 points (3rd on the team), 2.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists.
The last time out, San Diego State defeated Cal State Fullerton, 66-56. The victory was the 30th straight against the current slate of Big West teams and its third consecutive win over the Titans.
Senior guard Matt Bradley scored a team high 22 points (9-of-18 FG) with two rebounds and three assists and a steal. In his last five games he has shot 43.2 percent (32-of-74) from the field and has five double digit scoring games, including back-to-back 22-point efforts in the last two contests.
Senior guard Trey Pulliam has reached double figure scoring in 6-of-9 games this season. In the last three outings, he has shot 50.0 percent (14-of-28) with 10 assists, eight steals and one block. In the two games since Lamont Butler went down, he has played 73 of a possible 80 minutes, the most minutes in a two-game stretch in his major college career. Against Cal State Fullerton, he had 15 points, four steals and three assists to go along with a career-high seven rebounds.
Senior forward Nathan Mensah rejected three shots against Cal State Fullerton and passed San Diego State Hall of Famer Michael Cage for 4th on the program's all-time list. He has multiple blocks in six straight games (17 total) and at least one blocked shot (30 total) in his last 16 games.
Senior guard Adam Seiko has scored 19 points in the last three games, after totaling 13 in the first four contests of the season. His three 3-pointers vs. Cal State Fullerton were his most in a game since a four 3-point effort at Air Force on Jan. 22, 2021. In his career, when he hits at least two treys in a game, the Aztecs are 14-3.
Brian Dutcher is in his fifth season as San Diego State's head coach and his 23rd season on the Aztec sidelines. In his four plus seasons as head coach, he has led the Aztecs to four conference titles, a 102-34 overall record and has already been named the national coach of the year and twice named Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year. Among first time head coaches who started in the 2017-18 season, Dutcher's 102 wins are the most and he is the only head coach in the group to reach triple digit victories.
Aztecs Face Saint Mary’s In Phoenix On Friday
