Anaheim, CA – Jamaal Franklin poured in a game-high 28 points and pulled down seven rebounds on Saturday as No. 23 San Diego State earned a 78-69 win over UCLA at Honda Center in the John R. Wooden Classic.
Xavier Thames drained 5-of-6 from beyond the arc en route to 19 points and Deshawn Stephens contributed 12 points and six boards for the Aztecs (5-1), who extended a remarkable run of 26 straight victories over programs in the state of California.
"They've got a very good, young team that will continue to get better. I know what it's like to have the pressure of expectations, and I like their team," San Diego State coach Steve Fisher said about UCLA. "They're a good team and I thought we played better tonight."
Jordan Adams netted a team-high 23 points on 7-of-13 shooting, while Shabazz Muhammad finished with 16 points and four rebounds for the Bruins (5-3), who had won two of three coming in.
Norman Powell donated 10 points off the bench and Larry Drew II added six points and 11 assists in defeat.
Trailing 31-29 to begin the second half, the Bruins scored the first six points of the frame to take a 35-31 lead.
With the game tied at 41 and under four minutes gone in the second stanza, the Aztecs began to pull away by using an 8-2 push to build the lead to 49-43.
A jumper by Adams cut the Bruins deficit to 54-50, but Thames hit a jumper following a timeout to ignite the Aztecs on a 13-5 spurt to make it 67-54 game with 6:17 to go.
Adams sank a jumper with just over two minutes to go, cutting the deficit to 69-64, but San Diego State held on for the victory.
"We had some miscommunications and breakdowns on our responsibilities in the zone and they shot well in the second half," UCLA coach Ben Howland said.
After a back-and-forth first 20 minutes which featured six lead changes, San Diego State held a slim 31-29 lead.
Game Notes
San Diego State snapped an eight-game slide against UCLA. It was the longest losing streak against one single opponent ... The Bruins lead the all-time series between the teams, 16-6 ... San Diego State shot 50 percent from the floor and 92 percent from the free throw line.
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