Aztecs Defeat USIU, 112-74
Based on their performances against San Diego State, United States International University and Morgan State should have a good game when they meet Feb. 23.
The Aztecs defeated Morgan State, 128-68 on Dec. 1 and they beat USIU, 112-74, in front of only 1,350 fans at the San Diego Sports Arena Tuesday night.
Anthony Watson scored 22 points in 25 minutes, and Leonard Allen and reserve guard Bobby Owens added 19 points to help the Aztecs break a two-game road losing streak.
And they did it playing on their home court and dressing in their home jerseys in the home team locker room.
The Aztecs only agreed to play the Gulls because they were assured a $10,000 guarantee, and they did not have to pay the rental cost at the arena.
Therefore, it was officially a home game for USIU. That meant the Aztecs raised their road record to 7-2 instead of their home record to 7-2.
Tuesday night’s game will show up as a 38-point road victory over a Division 1 team.
Actually, there were only a few brief spells when the game resembled a tough practice for the Aztecs.
SDSU led, 20-12, after eight minutes, and 44-27 at halftime.
For the Gulls, it was a replay of most of their other games this season.
“It sure gets depressing,” said freshman Charles Redding from Pt. Loma High School. “I never lost at Pt. Loma, and it’s a bad feeling.”
Redding said when the team arrived in Milwaukee to play Marquette earlier this season, the newspaper previewed the game as a practice game.
The Aztecs took the same view of this game.
The first half was only as close as it was because the Aztec starters were on the bench after about 10 minutes.
Against a team that was 1-15, had lost nine straight, and was shooting only 38% from the field, Aztec Coach Smokey Gaines felt confident taking some chances.
Playing without 5-foot 3-inch junior guard Zach Lieberman (pinched nerve) and leading scorer Dwayne Cross, the Gulls were even more vulnerable than usual.
Cross has been unable to maintain the 2.7 grade point average required for a scholarship at USIU.
“We’re not healthy, we’re not tall, and we’re not talented,” Redding said.
It’s not hard to see why Gaines decided to use this nonconference game as a tuneup for the rest of the Western Athletic Conference schedule.
The Aztec starters experimented with a full-court press and man-to-man defense for the first part of the game.
Offensively, the Aztecs did anything and everything they wanted, including an alley-oop to the 6-3 Watson.
That did it. Time for the Aztecs to clear the bench. By the end of the half, Aztec fans might have been tempted to start a “We want Monteiro” chant.
Guard Tod Monteiro was the only Aztec who did not play in the first half.
In the second half, the Gulls made 21 of 34 field goal attempts, but were still outscored, 68-47. Carl Chenault scored 22 points, Forrest Saunders added 19 and Craig Masek had 12 for the Gulls.
The only suspense in the second half was when the Aztecs would hit 100 points and whether they would beat the Gulls by more points than they beat Morgan State.
“I think Morgan State is even worse,” said Owens.
Aztec Notes
San Diego State will face Hawaii in a Western Athletic Conference game Thursday night at the Neal Blaisdell Center in Honolulu. . . .The Aztecs lead the Gulls in the series, 9-2. Tuesday night’s game was the first time the teams have played in the Sports Arena. All previous games were played in Peterson Gym or Golden Gym. . . .Freddie Goss and Smokey Gaines said they are trying to put together a preseason tournament next season that would include SDSU, USIU, USD and UC San Diego.