ANCHORAGE ? Powered by a lights-out shooting display from guard D.J. Gay, San Diego State scored the game's first 15 points and went on to a 76-47 rout of Hampton on Saturday night to claim the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout title.
The Aztecs (5-1) got 20 points, three assists and a pair of steals from Gay, who made his first five three-point shots and finished 6 of 8 from long range. Tournament Most Outstanding Player Kyle Spain, a 6-5 senior forward, managed 17 points, eight rebounds and shot 8 of 8 from the free-throw line.
Hampton (3-3) was led by 15 points from guard Vincent Simpson, but no other Pirate managed more than seven points as the Virginia school shot just 4 of 21 from three-point range.
The Aztecs set Shootout championship-game records for fewest points allowed in a half and largest halftime lead with their 37-16 advantage at the break. The 29-point victory margin was also a title-game record, besting Kentucky's 92-65 win over College of Charleston in 1996.
The Pirates opened with the first two buckets of the second half but would get no closer than a 17-point deficit.
San Diego State senior Ryan Amoroso had five points, eight rebounds and a pair of blocks as he became the first player in the tourney's 31-year history to win two titles. Before transferring to SDSU, Amoroso played for Marquette on their 2005-06 squad, scoring 30 points in the Golden Eagles' championship-game win over South Carolina.
Aztecs coach Steve Fisher also joined an exclusive club, becoming the 12th head coach to win both a Shootout and an NCAA title, along with Jim Boeheim, Denny Crum, Joe B. Hall, Jud Heathcote, Mike Krzyzewski, Lute Olson, Rick Pitino, Dean Smith, Jim Valvano and Roy Williams.
2008 Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout
All-Tournament Team
Ryan Amoroso, San Diego State
Darion Anderson, Northern Illinois
Kenny Barker, Alaska Anchorage
Jordan Brooks, Hampton
Michael Freeman, Hampton
D.J. Gay, San Diego State
Harouna Mutombo, Western Carolina
Phil Nelson, Portland State
Austen Powers, Seattle
Dominic Waters, Portland State
Most Outstanding Player: Kyle Spain, San Diego State
