Aztecs press issue against the Toreros

By: MICHAEL KLITZING - Staff Writer
Switch to full-court defense the key as SDSU stays unbeaten | Monday, November 19, 2007 11:08 PM PST ∞

Aztecs' Lorrenzo Wade gets fouled by the Toreros' Ray Murdock during the second half at USD in San Diego on Monday.
HAYNE PALMOUR IV Staff Photographer
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SAN DIEGO -- Rarely in the history of this crosstown men's basketball rivalry has San Diego State looked so impressive when playing on the west side of Mission Valley.

Then again, rarely has a San Diego State team been able to defend like this.

After switching to a full-court press early in the second half, the energetic Aztecs surged into the lead and never looked back in a 69-64 victory over the University of San Diego on Monday night before an announced crowd of 5,100 at Jenny Craig Pavilion.

"We created opportunities with our defense," Aztecs coach Steve Fisher said. "We were far from perfect, but I'm proud of how hard we're playing."

Relentless ball pressure played a big part in forcing 25 Toreros turnovers. Junior forward Kyle Spain and freshman forward Billy White each had four of the Aztecs' season-best 15 steals.

The Aztecs improved to 5-0, marking the second straight year San Diego State has won its first five games.

USD fell to 2-2 under first-year coach Bill Grier, who came away impressed by his new rival. And that's saying something, considering that Grier, a former Gonzaga assistant, was in the building when the Aztecs played in the NCAA tournament in 2006.

"I've watched (Fisher's) teams play for a long time," Grier said. "We were in a regional with him in Utah, and I really feel this team plays more together than any of his previous teams the last three years or so. They seem to share the ball and they seem to be a lot more cohesive."

As has been the case early this year, four different Aztecs scored in double figures Monday, led by junior forward Lorrenzo Wade with 14. Spain added 11, while junior center Ryan Amoroso and freshman guard Kelvin Davis had 10 points apiece.

USD (2-2) was led by junior guard Brandon Johnson and junior forward Gyno Pomare, who each scored 20 points. Pomare, an El Camino High alumnus still not playing at 100 percent because of a foot injury, added 10 rebounds.

Johnson was locked down for much of the second half after pouring in 16 points -- including four 3-pointers -- before the break.

"It was just getting out there and not letting (Johnson) get a lot of open looks," said Wade, who added six assists and three steals. "In the first half, he was running off of a lot of triple-down screens coming off the baseline, and we just wanted to switch when we could and keep as much pressure on him as possible."

Eight Aztecs played 20 or more minutes, with none logging more than 30.

The turning point came when the Aztecs switched to a full-court press with just over 11 minutes left in the second half. It was instantly effective, as San Diego State used a 15-3 run over the next five minutes to erase a 46-43 USD lead.

Key plays included junior guard D.J. Gay's steal and behind-the-back pass for a Tim Shelton dunk, and a White steal that led to a vicious jam by Wade.

"They were able to run their sets, and then we came out with the pressure and they didn't have much of a counter for it," Spain said. "It definitely disrupted them and caused us an advantage."

Said Wade: "In a hostile situation like this, you definitely have to come out and play tough defense. I give a lot of credit to Richie Williams. He came in and gave us a great boost after being out, especially on the defensive end."

Near the end of the first half, Fisher showed an interesting wrinkle for the first time this year, playing the 5-foot-10 Williams, the 6-0 Gay and the 6-3 Davis on the floor at the same time as a change of pace. The undersized trio was effective, guarding with gusto and spurring a 10-0 first-half run.

The Aztecs won for only the second time on USD's campus since 1975, although the stat is skewed by the fact that all games in the series from 1979-92 were played at the San Diego Sports Arena.

-- Contact staff writer Michael Klitzing at (760) 740-6643 or mrklitzing@gmail.com.