• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

San Diego State edges Washington

Dec 9, 2013 - 3:51 AM San Diego, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Xavier Thames tallied 19 points and six assists as No. 24 San Diego State took care of Washington, 70-63, at Viejas Arena.

Winston Shepard added 17 points for San Diego State (7-1), which has won six straight contests overall and 11 of its last 13 meetings with current members of the Pac-12. J.J. O'Brien netted 10 points, Josh Davis recorded eight points with 10 rebounds and Skylar Spencer blocked a career-high five shots.

"I had some good opportunities," said Spencer. "Every game I try to block at least three shots but I got a few more today."

C.J. Wilcox paced Washington (4-4) with 17 points. Freshman Nigel Williams- Goss went for 14 points and five assists and Andrew Andrews scored 13 points as the Huskies' brief two-game winning streak came to an end.

"We were here in 2005, that was when (SDSU) was just starting to become good," said Washington head coach Lorenzo Romar. "I just thought, one day this place is going to be wild. It's wonderful. IT's a great environment to play in."

The Aztecs overcame a 30-21 halftime deficit thanks in large part to a hot start to the second half. Thames' layup capped an 8-0 SDSU run out of the locker rooms to make it 30-29, and his jumper with 14:59 left put the hosts in front at 33-32.

Washington regained the lead at 41-40 midway through the period after five straight points by Wilcox. Matt Shrigley followed with two free throws for SDSU, which never trailed again after that despite a Huskies' charge in the final minute.

After O'Brien split a pair from the line, Williams-Goss canned a three from the wing with 43 seconds left to bring Washington within 65-63. Shepard made all four of his free throws tries around an Andrews missed trey, however, to seal it for SDSU.

Earlier, the Huskies claimed a 27-17 lead with 2:02 left in the first half. Davis and Shepard followed with jumpers to make it a 6-point game, but Andrews' triple 35 seconds before halftime put the visitors in front by a 30-21 count heading into the final 20 minutes.

"We shot it as poorly as we've ever shot it in the first half, but didn't quit playing defense," said San Diego State head coach Steve Fisher. "The second half, we started making some shots and our defense got better."

Game Notes

Washington outrebounded San Diego State, 41-31. ... The Huskies shot 8-of-14 from 3-point range but went just 14-of-43 from inside the arc ... The Aztecs improved to 27-1 in their last 28 December tilts ... San Diego State has won 42 straight home non-conference bouts against unranked foes.