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Aztecs win 20th straight, beat Nevada

Feb 9, 2014 - 6:43 AM San Diego, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Xavier Thames scored 17 points to go with five assists as the fifth-ranked San Diego State Aztecs cruised to a 73-58 win over Nevada at Viejas Arena at Aztec Bowl.

Winston Shepard scored 16 points and Josh Davis added nine points and seven rebounds for the Aztecs (20-1, 9-0 MWC), who tied a school record with their 20th straight win. SDSU hasn't lost since falling to then sixth-ranked Arizona on Nov. 14.

"Our main goal is to win the conference. We're barely ahead of New Mexico and we want to win the next one. We play Wyoming next, and they're good. We've had troubles up there," said SDSU coach Steve Fisher. "So we'll be ready to play. Our kids have done a really good job of enjoying the moment and getting ready for the next one. So I feel confident that we'll be fine."

Jerry Evans Jr. scored 17 points, while Deonte Burton and Cole Huff added 11 points apiece for the Wolf Pack (12-12, 7-4), losers in two straight.

"They're (San Diego State) a very good team. They're experienced. I thought their athleticism bothered us. They were in a press all night. They did a very good job of dictating the tempo for us. By the time you get the ball across half court, you only have about 20 seconds to run your offense," said Nevada coach David Carter.

Nevada led 9-7 after an Evans 3-pointer less than four minutes in, and were knotted up with the Aztecs at 26-26 with 4 1/2 minutes to go in the first half, but SDSU closed the half on an 11-5 run to go into the break leading 37-31.

Huff knocked down a jumper 15 seconds into the second half, but an 18-10 burst from SDSU opened some distance as the hosts led 55-41 with 11 minutes to go.

The Wolf Pack had the lead down to single digits, 61-52, after an Evans 3- pointer at the 6:15 mark, but the Aztecs closed the game on a 12-6 run to seal the win.

Game Notes

SDSU shot 52.1 percent from the field ... The Aztecs outscored Nevada 40-22 in the paint ... SDSU scored 21 points off 12 Nevada turnovers. The Aztecs committed just four giveaways ... Nevada beat SDSU twice last season, but trails 8-3 in the all-time series.