Aztecs Will Play Cal Poly Pomona in First Home Game

San Diego State will open its home basketball season tonight against Cal Poly Pomona in a game that will feature two coaches in their first year at new schools.

Tipoff at the San Diego Sports Arena is scheduled for 7:30.

The game will be the official SDSU home debut for Coach Jim Brandenburg but hardly will be his first appearance in the Sports Arena.

Brandenburg coached the Aztecs in an exhibition-game loss to the Soviet national team three weeks ago and for nine seasons before had been an annual visitor when he was the coach at Wyoming.

Cal Poly Pomona is in its first season under Coach Dave Bollwinkel, who formerly was an assistant there. Bollwinkel was an assistant at San Jose State for the past five seasons.

The game will be the first between the schools since the 1969-70 season and the Aztecs’ only game this season against a school without Division I status. The Broncos are a Division II member of the National Collegiate Athletic Assn.

SDSU (1-1) is coming off a 78-73 victory over Northern Arizona Saturday in the consolation game of the Sun Met tournament in Fresno. Tony Ross, a 6-foot 3-inch sophomore guard, scored 48 points and was 11 of 22 on three-point attempts in the two tournament games. Rodney Hawkins, a 6-7 senior forward, led the Aztecs with 17 rebounds and had 25 points in the tournament.

Cal Poly Pomona (2-1) lost at Cal State Long Beach, 94-70, Friday in its only other game against Division I competition.

Tony Theisen, a 6-7 senior center, leads the Broncos with 17.3 points per game and 9.0 rebounds per game.