December 10, 1999

SDSU vs. USD was about Respect

By Sandy Burgin

"You don't expect something like this in a big rivalry game,'' said San Diego State point guard David Abramowitz. "I just think we're stunned the way we lost."

Stunned…shocked… surprised… you name it! Neither players, coaches nor the 2,500 fans who packed the USD Sports Center last Saturday expected to see such a blowout as the University of San Diego routed San Diego State, 73-45.

It was the biggest victory margin for either side in the series which San Diego State leads, 17-14. USD has won nine of the last 11 meetings, including six of the seven games played in the 90s.

For the Aztecs it was somewhat of an Alaska meltdown at the hands of the Toreros. Sophomore guard Andre Laws, who grew up in Anchorage, Alaska scored a career-high 18 points, 13 of which came in the second half when the Toreros out-scored the Aztecs by 26 points. Junior forward Cameron Rigby, who grew up in Australia, but prepped in Alaska, chipped in with 13 points and a game-high nine rebounds for USD, which is 4-2 on the season.

Abramowitz, a 6-foot sophomore, who was born in Guadalajara and resides in Tijuana, led the 1-2 Aztecs with 11 points. Marcello Correa, a 6-foot-10 junior center from Brazil, via Torrey Pines High, had nine points and four rebounds before fouling out in the second half.

"We played well for the first half,'' said Abramowitz, "and we expect to get better. We know we have a better team than we showed. We trust our coaches and believe in the system. I think we're going to bounce back and we should have a good team.''

Abramowitz knows all about good teams. His University of San Diego High School teams won the CIF title every year during his four seasons. The Dons were ranked No. 1 in San Diego County during the 1997-98 season and won a state title in '98.

Rated the top player in Mexico for 18 and under age-group, Abramowitz competed for the Mexican Junior National Team and participated in the Pan American games in the Dominican Republic. His coach at USDHS Jim Tomey is an assistant coach for the Aztecs under new head coach Steve Fisher.

Fisher was very impressed with the Toreros, who broke away from a 27-25 halftime lead and outscored the Aztecs, 46-20 over the final 30 minutes.

"I like the way USD plays,'' Fisher said. "They've got a lot of quickness and they play very well together. If you can't make shots like us (SDSU shot 29 percent , 18-for 62 from the floor) these things are going to happen. For 20 minutes we were competitive, but then we lost our mental toughness and discipline and it went downhill from there,'' Fisher added.

"I think we lost our composure,'' said Abramowitz. "We're slowly but surely playing better. Last game we played 12 minutes and this time we played a half. Hopefully we can go from here and eventually play a full game. We're young but that's no excuse.''

From the home side USD coach Brad Holland was happy with his teams's play. "Obviously I'm pleased for the players and the progam,'' Holland said. "I hope this gives some more respect for us around town, playing the other Division 1 progam in San Diego. I appreciate the atmosphere here tonight. I think it really helped us.''

Holland made a change at one of the starting guard sports moving freshman Chris Ferguson in place of Laws. That seemed to serve as motivation for Laws, who came off the bench and provided a big spark in the second half.

"I've been in a slump all year, but coach has been telling me to be more aggressive and look for my shot more,'' Laws said. "When I went kind of weak on a baseline drive, he let me know again, loudly. The next time down the floor, I hit a three and it just hit me like OK I don't think anyone can stop me. And my team was right behind me telling me the same thing.''

Laws hit on four of six shots from three-point land and was five of 10 from the floor. He was also a perfect four-for-four from the free throw line.

Neither team was particularly sharp from the charity stripe as USD hit 20-of-33 free throws while SDSU was six for 12.

"We looked at this game from the beginning of the season and we wanted to get a lot of respect today,'' said Laws. "A lot of people didn't know about us, but we played well. Coach Holland put a lot of emphasis on this game and it's important for him and for us. It's all about respect. When you see a winning margin like this it's hard for someone not to respect you."

Both USD and SDSU will return to action this weekend against nationally ranked teams with the Toreros playing at Texas at 7 p.m. on Saturday and the Aztecs at Oklahoma State at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. USD's next home game will be Dec. 18 against Dartmouth while SDSU will host South Carolina State Dec. 16.

Saturday's game marked only the third time that the two cross-town rivals played on the USD campus. The next time the two teams meet at Alcala Park it will be in the Toreros' 5,000 seat Jenny Craig Pavilion, which is currently under construction.

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