GAME NOTES: A couple of California-based programs trying to bounce back from disappointing losses the last time out hit the floor at Cox Arena this afternoon, as the San Diego State Aztecs host the Fresno State Bulldogs in non-conference competition. The Aztecs had a golden opportunity to knock off the 15th-ranked Sun Devils of Arizona State on Tuesday, but the home team came up just short in a 59-52 decision. The setback came three days after the program began 2008-09 with a 59-40 thumping of UC San Diego. As for the Bulldogs, they too went from a season-opening victory against Sacramento State (77-65) at home to a 99-85 defeat at the hands of the Saint Mary's Gaels on Monday in Moraga. Following this trip down the coast, the Bulldogs will return home for three straight games against the likes of Seattle University, Oregon State and UNLV. These two teams met last season in Fresno, with the Aztecs picking up the 89-72 victory at the Save Mart Center. With the triumph, SDSU now leads the all-time series by a count of 52-48, posting two straight wins versus the Bulldogs after FSU had taken 10 in a row in the series.

Except for Nedeljko Golubovic, who finished with a mere four points in 18 minutes of action, every starter hit for at least 12 points for the Bulldogs, yet that still wasn't enough to hold off the Gaels. Paul George posted a double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds, followed by Mychal Ladd with 13 points. Sylvester Seay and Dwight O'Neil registered 12 points apiece, the former clearing eight rebounds before fouling out and the latter handing out a game-high nine assists. FSU shot only 22-of-34 at the free-throw line and turned the ball over 19 times. After two games George is shooting 61.5 percent from the field and leads the group with his 19.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per outing, yet the team is still being outscored on the average and is permitting opponents to collect 39 rebounds per game and shoot 43.6 percent from three- point range.

The Aztecs took a 5-0 lead in the first half against Arizona State and then stretched that to a 15-2 advantage at the 12:46 mark of the period, but from there the squad was outscored 22-8 to close out the period. SDSU again started quick out of the gate in the second half, putting together a 9-0 run at one point, and still the Aztecs found a way to squander a sizeable lead. San Diego State shot just 35.3 percent from the field, compared to 57.1 percent for the Sun Devils, as Kyle Spain and Billy White emerged as the only double-digit scorers for the hosts with 17 and 12 points, respectively. Ryan Amoroso returned after a one-game suspension to contribute seven points and seven rebounds. Last season, Amoroso was among the team leaders in scoring with 11.4 ppg and also pulled down 6.5 rpg, which are numbers that he needs to replicate this season if the Aztecs are again going to win at least 20 games as they did in 2007-08. The big problem for SDSU right now is not having Lorenzo Wade available, as last year's top scorer has also been suspended by head coach Steve Fisher.

Having Amoroso back on the floor is huge for the Aztecs because they're still going to have to try and get the job done without Wade, which means Fresno State might have a fighting chance in this meeting.