SAN DIEGO COUNTY COLLEGE NOTEBOOK : Some Run Hot, Some Cold as Basketball Heats it Up

After the first month of the college basketball season, local men’s and women’s teams fall into one of two categories:

Who’s Hot: Among the men’s teams, San Diego State (5-2), UC San Diego (4-2) and Christian Heritage (5-3); among the women, the University of San Diego (5-1) and Point Loma Nazarene (4-2 after Tuesday night’s 81-54 loss at Cal State Northridge).

The Aztecs have won five in a row for the first time since 1984-85. UCSD’s two defeats have been by a total of four points, including a one-point double overtime loss to Menlo. Christian Heritage has compiled its record with seven away games and upset victories over Southern California College and Biola.

The USD women, off to their best start ever, are riding a four-game winning streak, including victories over SDSU and Arizona for the first time. PLNC had won three in a row heading into Tuesday night’s game.

Who’s Not: The men from USD (2-5), PLNC (1-5) and USIU (2-7 after Tuesday night’s 93-69 loss at Montana), and the SDSU (0-6) and UCSD (1-4) women.

Among the men, USD has lost four in a row, PLNC five and USIU six (before Tuesday). SDSU’s women have yet to win under Beth Burns, their new coach. UCSD has won just once after coming off a 19-6 season, its best ever.

Whose house was it when USD’s women played SDSU at the San Diego Sports Arena last Wednesday as part of a double-header with the men’s game?

The Sports Arena is the Aztec men’s home court and sometime home to the SDSU women. But because it was USD’s year to play host to the annual women’s game, the Toreras wore white, the NCAA’s home color.

USD, which defeated SDSU, 76-68, for the first time in 18 games, had four players who had previously played in the arena; the Aztecs only had one. In high school, USD’s Chris Enger (Vista), Lynda Jones (Mt. Carmel), Paula Mascari (Monte Vista) and Julie Doria (San Pasqual) played there in championship games.

For SDSU, Liza Carrillo played there four times while at Point Loma. Dee Dee Davis was on the 1987-88 team that met Pacific there, but she did not play.

SDSU’s Julie Evans has made 23 consecutive free throws. After beginning the season zero for two, Evans, a senior guard from Hilltop High, has not missed since and has a .920 percentage. The Aztec women’s record for consecutive free throws is 26 set by Chana Perry in 1987-88.

Marty Dow, the Aztec men’s center, has made 17 in a row and is shooting 86% (24 of 28) to lead four Aztecs over 80%. SDSU is making 74% from the line after shooting a dismal 63% last year.

The 62-game starting streak of USIU’s Mike Sterner was snapped when Coach Gary Zarecky, opting for a quicker five, kept him out of the starting lineup against Loyola Marymount last Thursday.

Christian Heritage’s exhibition game Thursday against Athletes in Action (6-21) has been switched to Patrick Henry High at 7:30 p.m. Howard Wright, averaging 15 points and 7.3 points for AIA, returns to his alma mater, for which he was a Times All-County selection in 1984-85.

A three-way, game-to-game battle is being waged by Christian Heritage guards Will Cunningham, Mark Kraatz and Rundy Foster for the Hawks’ career scoring record. Cunningham, the first to pass Bill Soucie’s record earlier this year, has 1,127 points. Kraatz has 1,118 and Foster 1,112.

Christian Heritage set a school record of 30 offensive rebounds in its upset of Biola Saturday, wiping out the mark of 22 set last year.

Kristen Walls, a two-time section diving champion from Monte Vista High, won the three-meter event in the eight-team USC Invitational Saturday. Walls, a freshman at UCLA, won with a score of 457.50, 17.40 points ahead of second.

Kelvin Means, who played basketball for USD the past two seasons, was a wide receiver for Fresno State this fall.

Means, a junior, caught 13 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns before breaking his collarbone in the Bulldog’s last regular-season game, a 45-22 loss to New Mexico. He also returned 18 kicks for 509 yards, a 28.3 average, including a long of 87 yards.

Fresno State defeated Ball State, 27-6, Saturday in the California Raisin Bowl to cap an 11-1 season.