Anchorage Daily News

On a snowy night in Anchorage, a bunch of beach boys heated up Sullivan Arena.

San Diego State posted the most lopsided championship-game victory in the 31-year history of the Great Alaska Shootout on Saturday night, beating Hampton University 76-47 in a game that was a blowout from the start.

The Aztecs raced to a 15-0 lead, thanks in part to three straight 3-pointers, two of them by D.J. Gay.

The Pirates never recovered.

"They beat us in all phases of the game," Hampton coach Kevin Nickelberry said. "We got beat by a better team tonight."

San Diego State (5-1) landed three players in double figures, with Gay's 20 leading the way. Kyle Spain, the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, added 17 points and eight rebounds, and Billy White chipped in 12 points.

The win was the first tournament championship for Steve Fisher in his 10 seasons at San Diego State. As the coach for Michigan, Fisher won an NCAA title in 1989 and an NIT title in 1997. He becomes the 10th coach in history to boast both an NCAA title and a Shootout title.

The Aztecs led 37-16 at the half and expanded the lead in the second half. The 29-point difference marked the largest margin of victory in Shootout history, surpassing Kentucky's 27-point victory over the College of Charleston in the 1996 Shootout.

Hampton's 16 halftime points set a record for the lowest first-half output in a Shootout championship (beating the 22 points Kentucky limited Charleston to in 1996) and its 47 total points was one point short of matching the lowest output in a championship game (Alabama-Birmingham scored 46 in the 1984 Shootout championship game won by Kansas).

Hampton 16 31 -- 47

San Diego State 37 39 -- 76

HAMPTON -- Simpson 6-14 0-0 15; Smalling 3-4 1-4 7; Tunnell 3-6 1-2 7; Morgan 1-9 2-2 5; Harrison 2-2 0-0 4; Freeman 2-7 0-0 4; Tolson 1-6 0-0 2; Brooks 1-7 0-0 2; Hines 0-1 1-2 1; Lola-Charles 0-0 0-0 0; Ntoko 0-1 0-0 0; DeGroat 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 19-58 5-10 47.

SAN DIEGO STATE -- Gay 7-12 0-0 20; Spain 4-8 8-8 17; White 5-8 2-2 12; Cheriet 3-6 0-0 7; Shelton 1-4 3-4 5; Amoroso 2-10 1-2 5; Williams 2-6 0-0 4; Davis 1-3 0-0 3; Smith 1-1 0-0 3; Thomas 0-0 0-0 0; Horton 0-0 0-1 0; Island 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 26-59 14-17 76.

3-point goals -- Hampton 4-21 (Simpson 3-8; Morgan 1-4; Tunnell 0-1; Freeman 0-1; Tolson 0-3; Brooks 0-3; Ntoko 0-1), San Diego State 10-22 (Gay 6-8; Cheriet 1-1; Davis 1-3; Smith 1-1; Spain 1-4; Island 0-1; Williams 0-3; Amoroso 0-1). Fouled out -- Hampton-None, San Diego State-Cheriet. Rebounds -- Hampton 34 (Morgan 5), San Diego State 40 (Spain 8; Amoroso 8). Assists -- Hampton 11 (Brooks 5), San Diego State 18 (Williams 4). Total fouls -- Hampton 15, San Diego State 16. Technical fouls -- Hampton-None, San Diego State-None. A -- 5836.

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