Aztecs Crash Boards, Smash Miners, 76-63 : SDSU Avenges Loss in El Paso, Moves Into Tie for 1st in WAC

Talk about getting UP for a big game.

In San Diego State’s 76-63 Western Athletic Conference win over the Texas El Paso on Thursday night in the Sports Arena, the Aztec front line played way above the rim and dominated the Miners on the boards. The game left the teams tied for first place in the WAC.

Obeying the “Crash the Glass” sign that covered the blackboard in the Aztec locker room, the first place Aztecs outrebounded the top rebounding team in the WAC, 55-36.

Aztec center Leonard Allen scored 17 points and grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds, forward Michael Kennedy had 11 points and 6 rebounds and guard Anthony Watson had a game-high 25 points and 5 rebounds.

Playing in front of 8,843 screaming fans--by far their largest home crowd of the season and the Aztecs’ fifth largest home crowd ever--the Aztecs fought back from a two-point halftime deficit to up their record to 10-3 in the WAC and 20-5 overall.

UTEP, which outrebounded the Aztecs by three in their 87-81 win over SDSU in El Paso on Jan. 19, is also 10-3 in the conference.

In their remaining conference games, the Aztecs host New Mexico on Saturday night and Hawaii next Thursday night, before closing out the season at Colorado State on Feb. 23.

The Miners (2-3 on the road in the WAC) travel to Hawaii, New Mexico and Colorado State.

It was at the five-minute mark of the second half of Thursday’s game that the Aztecs took control.

When point guard Creon Dorsey went out of the game with four fouls, the Aztecs led, 39-38, with 15:18 to play.

With Jeff Konek directing the team and the Aztec big men dominating the foul-plagued Miner big men, the Aztecs went on a 15-3 tear that gave them a 54-41 lead.

“That’s as good a stretch as we’ve had against a good team,” Aztec Coach Smokey Gaines said.

From that point on, the Miners never got closer than eight points.

“They knew that they (the big men) had to take charge when Creon went out,” Gaines said.

Kennedy, scoreless in the first half, and Allen combined for 15 rebounds and 20 points in the second half.

“I was getting bumped around a lot,” Allen said, “but the ball seemed to be bouncing my way.” It didn’t hurt that Miner center Dave Feitl (17 points in the first meeting between the teams) was in foul trouble throughout the game. Feitl finished with just four points before fouling out.

Miner guard Luster Goodwin was held to 12 points, which is three below his average and 14 fewer than he had when UTEP beat the Aztecs.

When Konek guarded Goodwin in the second half, the 6-foot guard scored just two points. Offensively, Konek scored 10 points and added 4 assists.

“We felt that if we shut off Goodwin and (Juden) Smith in the second half, we would be all right,” Gaines said. Smith scored just 5 of his team-high 17 points in the second half.

The Aztecs were better than all right.

Despite shooting just 39% from the field for the game, the Aztecs destroyed a team that is trying to become the first WAC club ever to win three consecutive conference titles.

“I felt it tonight,” Kennedy said, “and we did it.”