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Big second half lifts San Diego State past Miami-Ohio

Nov 23, 2010 - 2:19 AM Oxford, OH (Sports Network) - D.J. Gay led all scorers with 19 points and Malcolm Thomas went for 16, as 18th-ranked San Diego State used a big second half to earn a 77-56 victory over Miami-Ohio at the CBE Classic.

James Rahon netted 15, while Kawhi Leonard added a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds for San Diego State (5-0), which began this tourney with a 79-70 comeback win over Green Bay on Saturday and followed it up with a 61-46 victory over IUPUI on Sunday.

Nick Winbush finished with a team-best 12 points for Miami-Ohio (2-3), which opened this event with a win over IUPUI on Saturday, but fell to Green Bay on Sunday. Chris McHenry and Allen Roberts each had nine points in defeat.

Miami-Ohio jumped out to an early 17-6 lead, but the Aztecs responded in a big way, going on a 25-2 run. Tim Shelton got things started with a three-pointer and after Rahon's basket ended the surge with just over five minutes left in the half, the Aztecs had a 31-19 advantage.

However, Roberts' three in the final seconds cut the RedHawks' deficit to five at 39-34 heading into the locker room.

After Miami-Ohio tied things at 39-all in the early stages of the second half, Gay started and finished a run of 25 straight points for the Aztecs, who essentially put the game away.

Antonio Ballard's layup tied it just over two minutes into the second half before Gay drained 1-of-2 at the stripe a short time later to put his squad back in front for good. He then capped the burst by hitting a three with 5:46 to play to give SDSU a commanding 64-39 lead.

The RedHawks were unable to get within single digits the rest of the way.

Game Notes

This was the first-ever meeting between the two teams on the hardwood...San Diego State finished 50 percent from the floor and made 7-of-16 from three- point range, while the RedHawks hit 36.7 percent of their shots.