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No. 24 San Diego State routs San Diego Christian

Jan 6, 2012 - 6:51 AM San Diego, CA (Sports Network) - Deshawn Stephens scored 18 points, as No. 24 San Diego State cruised to a 83-52 win over San Diego Christian on Thursday.

Garrett Green added 14 points, while Chase Tapley and Jamaal Franklin both had 11 for the Aztecs (13-2), winners of six straight. Alec Williams finished with 10 points.

The Hawks (4-6), who compete in the Golden State Athletic Conference at the NAIA level, were led by Ryan Rubino's 13 points.

"When we run our system and share the ball and make plays, especially against a top-25 team, then we can compete," said San Diego Christian coach Tim Cook. "When we play within our system we can have some success. If we don't and try to make individual plays, it just doesn't work."

San Diego State is in the midst of a six-game homestand, having already defeated UC Riverside and Elon before taking down Redlands last Wednesday. Franklin dominated against Redlands, scoring a game-high 25 points to go with 10 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and six steals.

On Thursday, it was Stephens leading the way, going 6-of-8 from the field, 6- of-8 from the charity stripe and grabbing eight boards. He scored nine points over the opening 20 minutes of play, as the Aztecs took a commanding 44-26 lead into the break.

They did not falter, leading by as many as 34 in the second half. In all, they shot 53.8 percent from the field and held a 37-16 advantage on the glass.

"I don't think I really made any drastic changes," said Stephens of his effort from the foul line. "I just concentrate better and focus more. In practice, they look as how they actually looked today. In the game, I guess, it's just a different fitting and I was feeling a little off before. It's just more focus and repetition now."

Game Notes

San Diego State plays Chicago State on Tuesday before concluding its homestand January 14 against UNLV...The Aztecs are off to their second-best start as a Division I program. They began 15-0 in 2010-11...This was the second-ever meeting between the teams. The Aztecs lead the all-time series, 2-0...The game acted as an exhibition for San Diego Christian and did not count against the team's overall record.