Dec. 1, 2016
SAN DIEGO -
SDSU Men's Basketball Game Notes | SDSU Broadcast Flip Card
NEWS AND NOTES
* San Diego State begins a three-game-in-eight-day stretch on Saturday when the Aztecs face Loyola on the road in the annual Mountain West-Missouri Valley Challenge. The contest is set for a 3 p.m. CT start (1 p.m. PT) and will air exclusively on ESPN3 and The Mighty 1090.
* SDSU is coming off a 100-67 victory over Savannah State on Monday night. Zylan Cheatham notched a career-high 18 points on 6-of-6 shooting, while Matt Shrigley (career-high five 3-pointers) and Max Hoetzel (three 3-pointers) each scored 15 points apiece. Jeremy Hemsley and Montaque Gill-Caesar added 14 and 12 points respectively.
* The Aztecs' starting backcourt of Hemsley and Trey Kell combined for 16 assists and just one turnover against Savannah State. Hemsley had a career-high nine assists and zero turnovers to become the 12th player this season to have at least that many helpers and no miscues in a game. The sophomore now has 17 assists and two turnovers in his last three games (93 minutes). Kell added a career-high seven assists.
* As good as San Diego State was on offense, it was just as good or even better on defense against the Tigers. The Aztecs held Savannah State, which committed 17 turnovers, to a season-low 67 points and 10 3-pointers after it came into the contest with averages of 93.6 points and 17.1 treys per game.
* The Aztecs enter the Mountain West-Missouri Valley Challenge with a 4-1 record in the event and winners of two straight after defeating Missouri State in 2012-13 and Illinois State last season. SDSU is 2-0 in road Challenge games, defeating Drake in 2009-10 and the Bears in '12-13.
* One reason for San Diego State's early season success has been its ability to take care of the ball. The Aztecs are tied for sixth nationally with Central Michigan in fewest turnovers per game at 10.0 through Nov. 30. Against Savannah State, SDSU had 10 turnovers and twice this season, the Aztecs finished games with single-digit turnover totals.
* San Diego State's ability to play away from home has made it one of the top teams in America since the start of the 2010-11 campaign. The Aztecs own the third-best road winning percentage in the country since the start of '10-11 at .700 (49-21), through Nov. 30.
* Since the start of the 2010-11 season, SDSU owns a 173-47 record. Its .786 winning percentage is the seventh best in the nation during that time period and the best in the state of California through Nov. 30 games.
* The trip to Loyola is a homecoming of sorts for San Diego State head coach Steve Fisher. The 18th-year head coach hails from Herrin, Illinois, which is roughly 330 miles south of the Loyola campus.
* Fisher graduated from Illinois State in Normal, Illinois, 140 miles south Loyola. Fisher received his bachelor's (1967) and master's degrees (1968) from the school and played basketball from 1964-67, earning varsity letters in 1966-67. In Fisher's last season, he and Illinois State beat San Diego State in the NCAA Division II quarterfinals in triple overtime, 77-76.
* Fisher later got his head coaching career started at Rich East High School in Park Forest, Illinois, which is located 40 miles south of the Rambler campus.
* Associate head coach/head coach in waiting Brian Dutcher has also spent some time in Illinois, having earned his master's degree from Illinois in 1984. While in Champaign, roughly 140 miles south of Loyola, Dutcher, as a graduate assistant, helped Lou Henson lead the Illini to a Big Ten championship, two appearances in the Sweet 16 and one regional final.