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San Diego State hangs on to down IUPUI

Dec 23, 2010 - 5:35 AM Las Vegas, NV (Sports Network) - Alex Young's shot at a tie didn't fall with just under 20 seconds left, and seventh-ranked San Diego State escaped IUPUI, 56-54, as part of the Las Vegas Hoops Classic.

Young led the Jaguars (5-8) with 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting, but it wasn't enough to overcome the defensive-minded Aztecs (14-0), who received 18 points from D.J. Gay and 12 points from Malcolm Thomas in the victory.

These two teams met as part of the CBE Classic earlier this season with the Aztecs taking a 61-46 decision.

The Jaguars hung around due in large part to San Diego State's outside shooting struggles. The Aztecs made just 3-of-20 shots from beyond the arc.

San Diego State rattled off seven straight points near the middle of the first half to open a 21-15 edge, but the Jaguars slugged right back, scoring 14 of the half's final 20 points to take a 29-27 lead into the locker room.

The Aztecs seemed to take complete control early in the second half, scoring 13 consecutive points to take a 47-34 lead on Billy White's slam in transition. IUPUI again responded, this time with eight points in row, the last six on a pair of Thomas' treys.

Tim Shelton's layup with just under six minutes to go handed the Aztecs a 56-46 lead, but those were the last points they scored. Young scored five of the next eight points, including a slam that brought the Jaguars within 56-54 with just under 1 1/2 minutes to play.

Young, however, missed on his chance at the tie in the closing seconds.

Game Notes

San Diego State's leading scorer, Kawhi Leonard, scored just seven points on 3-of-10 shooting...The Aztecs made 46.9 percent of their shots, while the Jaguars connected on 47.7 percent of their attempts.