Defense. Rebounding. Rinse. Repeat.
The San Diego State Aztecs are finding their identity at the halfway point of the Mountain West Conference regular season schedule. They aren’t a shooting team. They are certainly not a 3-point shooting team. But physically and athletically, SDSU can play with anyone in their league.
Against an over-matched Air Force team Tuesday night, the Aztecs (16-6, 5-3 MWC) held the Falcons scoreless for the game’s first 9:45, eventually running away with a 70-48 win in front of 6,126 at Viejas Arena. Malcolm Thomas contributed another double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds, while Kawhi Leonard added a game-high 15 points and 7 boards.
The Falcons had nine missed shots and four turnovers before finally scoring on an Evan Washington putback with 10:15 remaining. In the interim the Aztecs jumped out to a 12-0 lead and never looked back.
“We did what everyone thought we should do, and we did what we had to do to win,” said head coach Steve Fisher after the game, “We were steady from the tip to the finish.”
Read more and watch video interviews with D.J. Gay and Steve Fisher after the jump: Continue Reading →
by Kyle Englehart on November 21, 2009
There was an offensive explosion Friday night at Scripps Ranch High School. The scoring frenzy left one casualty: the Orange Glen defense. Scripps Ranch lit up the scoreboard all night long scoring a season high 63 points.
Orange Glen fought hard, but Brennan Clay and the Scripps Ranch offense were too much to handle. Routing the Patriots 63-34, the Falcons (6-5) soared their way into the quarterfinals of the Division II CIF Playoffs, where they will face Lincoln. Clay, a University of Oklahoma commit, looked spectacular rushing for over 150 yards with two touchdowns; all in less than two quarters of play.
The Falcon offense was firing on all cylinders throughout the game. In the first half, Scripps Ranch got into the end zone on all but one drive. After trailing early 14-7, the Falcons quickly rallied and entered the half with a 42-14 lead. Déjà vu struck in the last 42 seconds of the half when QB Jake Fish found WR Jeff Brown for two 10-yard TD strikes.
“Tonight we came together and played well, these past few weeks this offense has been out of sync,” said Clay post-game. “We finally got this offense clicking. With the offense clicking it brings the defense together and makes them play harder.”
Read more and listen to an interview on-field with Brennan Clay after the jump: Continue Reading →
