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SDSU downs No. 25 Marquette to capture Wooden Legacy crown

Dec 2, 2013 - 5:57 AM Anaheim, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Xavier Thames put up career-high scoring numbers for the second straight game and led San Diego State to a 67-59 upset over 25th-ranked Marquette in the finals of the Wooden Legacy.

Thames followed up a 26-point effort in San Diego State's (5-1) semifinal victory over Creighton with 27 points on 5-of-6 from 3-point range and 8- for-9 from the free throw line against Marquette (5-3), which led 50-48 late following Deonte Burton's personal 6-0 run.

Minutes later, Winston Shepard broke a 53-53 tie with a pair of free throws and padded the lead with a stepback jumper. Skylar Spencer's tip-in with less than a minute remaining made it a six-point affair, and Thames put the game away from the free throw line.

Shepard, Josh Davis and Dakarai Allen netted eight points apiece for SDSU, which has won four in a row, including back-to-back games over ranked opponents.

Burton had 15 points off the bench to pace Marquette in the setback.

Thames was named the tournament MVP and was joined on the All-Tournament team by Davis, Marquette's Jamil Wilson, Creighton's Doug McDermott and George Washington's Isaiah Armwood.

Thames' trey stretched SDSU's lead to 23-13 midway through the first period, but Marquette fought back and trailed 32-30 at intermission following a pair of Todd Mayo free throws 34 seconds before the halftime buzzer.

The Aztecs started to pull away early in the second half, as Shepard scored on the front and back end of a 6-0 charge which put SDSU ahead by nine. The Golden Eagles responded, however, with eight straight points, including a Burton jumper that cut SDSU's lead to 44-43.

SDSU won despite shooting just 39.3 percent from the floor.

Game Notes

Marquette shot 1-of-11 from the 3-point line and 16-of-26 on foul shots ... Neither team shared the ball well, as Marquette had just five team assists and SDSU had six.