Allen Is Aggressive as Aztecs Overpower Fatigued Wyoming

Maybe it was the championship wrestling sign that mistakenly lit up in neon outside the San Diego Sports Arena on Saturday night.

It could have been the presence of former Aztec forward Michael Cage, who was sitting behind the SDSU bench.

Or maybe the physical prowess displayed by reserve center Gerald Murray on Thursday night rubbed off on the Aztec starting front line.

Whatever the reason, the Aztecs played one of their more physical games of the season in their 79-70 Western Athletic Conference win over Wyoming.

Aztec center Leonard Allen hit 7 of 13 from the field and 14 of 16 from the foul line to score a game-high 28 points against Dave Lodgins and Eric Leckner, two 6-10 freshmen.

Sporting a new haircut--a shaved head--Allen added 13 rebounds and two blocked shots.

He looked like Marvin Hagler, and he played almost as mean.

“Smokey (Gaines) told our front line we better produce,” Allen said, “and that inspired us. The big fellas haven’t been moving enough inside. When you move like we did tonight, you have a better opportunity to get offensive rebounds.”

Forward Andre Ross added 12 points and 7 rebounds, Anthony Watson also had 12 points and Michael Kennedy had 11.

“The game was a little more physical than usual,” Kennedy said. “They (the officials) let a couple of things go, and that was pretty good for us.”

The Aztecs converted 29 of 38 free throws, whereas Wyoming made 16 of 18 attempts--a fact that frequently had Wyoming Coach Jim Brandenburg screaming at the officials, “Another no-call!”

SDSU outrebounded the Cowboys, 37-28, and the Aztecs came up with most of the loose balls.

“The big fellas came out playing like they really wanted to win,” said guard Creon Dorsey. “This is the best they’ve gone to the boards in a while.”

The Aztecs wanted a physical game, but the road-weary Cowboys (6-6, 13-10) were not up to the task. Wyoming did not arrive in San Diego from Honolulu until almost 9 o’clock Friday night.

“That’s why we pressed them from the start,” Gaines said.

The Aztecs led, 26-14, midway through the first half, but as has been their pattern, they let the opponent back in the game.

SDSU led, 44-38, at halftime, but they didn’t take a commanding lead until they scored 10 straight points midway through the second half.

A jump shot by Bobby Owens, two inside baskets by Ross and lay ups by Dorsey and Watson gave SDSU a 70-55 lead with just over seven minutes to play.

“Once again, we played in spurts,” Gaines said. “I think it’s our trademark to make the game exciting for the fans.”

Wyoming closed to within six points, 70-64, with 3:33 to play, but it was only a token run by a tired team.

Cowboy forward Fennis Dembo, the team’s leading scorer, was forced to play with four fouls throughout the second half. He scored 12 points. Guard Rodney Gowens led the Cowboys with 20, and Jamal Hosey added 13.

The Aztecs’ win, in front of 4,626 fans, moved them into sole possession of second place in the WAC.

SDSU is 9-3 in the WAC and 18-5 overall. After New Mexico was upset 65-58 by Utah in a game played in Albuquerque Saturday night, the Lobos drop to 8-4 in conference. University Texas El Paso defeated Brigham Young, 97-86, in three overtimes in a game played in El Paso to remain in first place with a 10-2 mark.

SDSU will face Cal State Long Beach in a nonconference home game on Tuesday at 7:35 p.m. On Thursday night, the Aztecs play host to UTEP in what is the biggest game in years for the Aztec basketball program.