GAME NOTES: The San Diego State Aztecs attempt to work their way back into the national rankings as they confront the Fresno State Bulldogs in Mountain West Conference action at the Save Mart Center on Saturday night.

Ranked as high as 13th in the country less than a month ago, the Aztecs suffered through a five-game stretch during which they lost three decisions, one of those coming against third-ranked Arizona. More recently, the team slipped by Air Force in the home conference opener on New Year's Eve by a score of 53-49. The win was the fourth in a row and the fifth in six attempts for the program.

As for the Bulldogs, who have won eight of their last 11 regular-season conference bouts, they stumbled out of the gate this time around as they began MWC action with a 76-64 loss at New Mexico on Dec. 31. The setback continued a trend of alternating wins and losses over the last six games.

These two California-based programs are meeting for the 107th time, with the Aztecs owning a 58-48 advantage. The Bulldogs have a 29-20 advantage in games played at home, although SDSU won the most recent meeting in this facility last season by a score of 82-67. In fact, San Diego State has won four straight on the road in the relationship.

Overall, the Bulldogs have dropped eight straight in the series and are seeking their first win since posting a 70-62 triumph on Nov. 20, 2000 at Selland Arena in Fresno.

The Aztecs set the school record for consecutive home wins with their 23rd in a row versus Air Force, but it was not easy. San Diego State led by as many as 19 points in the meeting, but saw that advantage dwindle to just a single point, 50-49, with 42 seconds remaining in regulation. Thankfully, Winston Shepard, who made only 2-of-12 shots from the floor, sank three free throws down the stretch to secure the victory.

Shepard finished with just seven points, while JJ O'Brien accounted for 10 points as the lone double-digit scorer for a group that shot only 22-of-61 from the floor and 4-of-21 behind the 3-point line.

Heading into this weekend Shepard stands as the only double-digit scorer on the season with his 10.7 ppg, now shooting just 40.3 percent from the field and 31.3 percent beyond the arc. However, scoring is not the top priority for this San Diego State squad as it limits foes to only 36.8 percent from the field and a very low 27.2 percent out on the perimeter, resulting in just 53.9 ppg.

Despite shooting only 38.6 percent from the field, the Bulldogs still made things interesting in their meeting with New Mexico before absorbing the loss in Albuquerque. On his way to becoming the latest FSU player to record 1,000 points for his career, Marvelle Harris tallied 19 points in 33 minutes off the bench, followed by Julien Lewis with 14 on just 5-of-17 shooting from the floor. Paul Watson and Karachi Edo chipped in with 12 and 11 points, respectively.

Increasing his scoring output each of his years with the Bulldogs, Harris now finds himself posting 16.6 ppg. But more than just a scorer, Harris also leads the program with 5.1 rpg, 52 assists and 27 steals, doing everything he can to get the Bulldogs into the win column on a regular basis. Lewis produces another 12.4 ppg, Watson 11.6 ppg and Edo 10.9 ppg, but still the program is generating just 65.9 ppg due in part to a woeful 29.8 percent effort from the outside.

Harris is a threat in so many ways for the Bulldogs, but unless he gets plenty of support from his teammates the program will more than likely be headed towards another loss this weekend.