NFL
MLB
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
WNBASan Diego State (2-1) At Fresno State (2-1)
GAME NOTES: For the 102nd time the San Diego State Aztecs will collide with the Fresno State Bulldogs this evening at the Save Mart Center, as part of the West Coast Classic.
This is the oldest series in school history for SDSU and the team currently holds a slim, 53-48 edge over the Bulldogs. The Aztecs extended their lead over the Bulldogs over the past couple years, as the team has won the last three meetings, including two last year.
The Aztecs have won two of their first three matchups this season. The team's latest contest was an 86-53 clobbering over Santa Clara. San Diego State, which is 0-1 on the road in the early going, will have to play as the visitor for four of its next five games, beginning with tonight's meeting with Fresno State.
As for the Bulldogs, they are coming off their first loss of the year, as the team shockingly stumbled against Seattle, losing by an 85-84 margin. before the setback Fresno State tallied back-to-back victories over San Francisco State (65-5) and Northern Arizona (65-59). After this matchup the Bulldogs will hit the road to battle Santa Clara.
The Aztecs were not overwhelming offensively in their victory over Santa Clara, but San Diego State still won by a 33-point margin. The Aztecs shot an impressive 53.0 percent from the field, but the team made just 8-of-22 attempts from long range, and only 8-of-17 shots from the foul line. SDSU also won the battle on the glass by a 45-37 margin, and that led to a commanding, 42-26 edge in points scored in the paint. Bill White, who is leading the team with 13.5 ppg, led the way in the win with 17 points and also collected eight rebounds. D.J. Gay, Tyrone Shelley and Chase Tapley each posted 12 points in the victory, while Kelvin Davis tallied 11 points. Kawhi Leonard led the team with 13 rebounds, while Malcolm Thomas (13.3 ppg and 7.0 rpg) was limited to just six points in 20 minutes of action on the floor.
After holding the opposition to 59 points in each of their first two games, the Bulldogs fell apart at the defensive end of the floor, as Fresno State allowed Seattle to scored 85 points behind a 48.4 percent shooting effort. The poor play defensively took away from a solid performance by the team at the offensive end of the floor, as Fresno State shot 50.9 percent in the contest and also made 21-of-28 shots from the charity stripe. Greg Smith and Paul George both scored 24 points and 10 rebounds apiece, while Sylvester Seay added 15 points. Steven Sharp tallied 13 points and eight assists, but also committed eight turnovers.
The Bulldogs are coming off their worst showing thus far on the year, but look for Fresno State to bounce back in a big way tonight. The Bulldogs are too strong down low, and should dominate the Aztecs in the paint.
Predicted OutcomeFresno State 81, San Diego State 73Copyright 2009 Courtesy of The Sports Network.
