SDSU Gets Break From WAC, Plays Florida International

The San Diego State men’s basketball team, new occupant of last place in the Western Athletic Conference, gets a respite from league play tonight at 7:30 when Florida International visits the San Diego Sports Arena.

The WAC break couldn’t have come at a better time for Coach Jim Brandenburg’s team. SDSU (10-14, 4-10) has lost 10 of its past 12 WAC games and 24 of 25 conference road games, including eight in a row.

“I think a break from the WAC is good for us right now,” Brandenburg said. “It will be ood for us to be back home again and see if we can’t get on the winning track and gain some momentum.”

A season that was so promising as recently as early January, when the Aztecs won their first two WAC games, has turned sour. The Aztecs have outrebounded opponents in 19 of 24 games but have more turnovers in WAC play (210) than opponents (180) and a poorer free throw shooting percentage (63% to 71%).

One of the few bright spots has been the play of Shawn Bell. The 6-foot-6 forward led the team in Saturday’s 71-67 loss at Wyoming with 16 points, nine rebounds and four assists.

Florida International’s best all-around player is 6-7 forward Dwight Stewart, who is averaging 16.7 points and 6.2 rebounds. Doug Johnson leads Florida International in scoring with a 17.4-point average.

Florida International (9-15) averages 84.4 points.