Albuquerque, NM – The 16th-ranked San Diego State Aztecs continue a treacherous stretch of conference action, as they invade Albuquerque this evening for a Mountain West Conference showdown with the New Mexico Lobos.
The Aztecs opened league play with a matchup with the Mountain West's other top-25 squad in UNLV. The result was a thrilling 69-67 victory, SDSU's eighth straight win. In addition, San Diego State owns the nation's longest win streak against non-top 25 foes, now sitting at 55 games and has won 22 straight games against MWC opponents.
The Lobos are sporting an identical 15-2 overall record and also opened league play on a positive note, winning at Wyoming, 72-62. The victory was the 13th straight for New Mexico, which hasn't lost since an overtime decision against Santa Clara back on November 24th.
The Lobos own a 38-31 advantage in the all-time series with the Aztecs, but SDSU has won three straight and 10 of the last 13 meetings to close the gap. However, San Diego State has really struggled in Albuquerque over the years, losing 25 of the previous 33 games on New Mexico's homecourt.
Jamaal Franklin made a lay-up with under a second to go, lifting the Aztecs to a two-point win over the Runnin' Rebels last weekend. Franklin had a huge performance, finishing with 24 points and 10 rebounds, his second straight double-double and third in the last four games. James Rahon was instrumental in the win as well, pouring in 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting. Chase Tapley tacked on 11 points for SDSU, which shot just 43.6 percent from the floor, but held UNLV to a 35.3 percent showing. The Aztecs have shown the ability to adapt to whatever style the opponent is playing. The defensive effort has been consistent, holding foes to just 62.2 ppg and under 40 percent shooting (.389). The Aztecs are also comfortable in an up-tempo game, netting 74.8 ppg on a healthy .469 shooting. Four of the five starters are averaging double figures, led by Tapley's 16.9 ppg. The junior sniper is shooting .519 from the floor overall and an impressive .494 from three-point range. Franklin is a close second at 15.7 ppg. Xavier Thames and Rahon complete the explosive quartet with 11.0 and 10.9 ppg, respectively.
The Lobos are also a team with tremendous balance, giving top-notch effort at the defensive end particularly. New Mexico ranks 16th nationally in scoring defense (58.0 ppg) and eighth in field-goal percentage defense (.368). Offensively, New Mexico lacks the kind of top-end scorers that SDSU has, but there is still some depth, led by Tony Snell's 13.4 ppg. Drew Gordon is one of the Mountain West's top frontcourt players, averaging a double-double with 12.4 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. Kendall Williams rounds out the top offensive threats at 11.7 ppg. The Lobos went on the road this past weekend and used an efficient performance to post a 10-point win over Wyoming. New Mexico shot 52.3 percent from the floor overall, hitting over 52 percent both before and after the intermission. Williams had a solid all-around game, finishing with 14 points, six rebounds and five assists. Jamal Fenton added 13 points in the victory.
