LAS VEGAS – D.J. Gay scored 18 points and Malcolm Thomas fell just shy of a double-double as No. 7 San Diego State beat IUPUI 56-54 on Wednesday night to give the Aztecs a school-record 14 straight wins.
After shooting an airball to end the first half, Gay took a charge to start the second, touching off a 20-5 run to give the Aztecs (14-0) the lead for good in the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic.
Thomas, despite hurting a toe in the last game, had 12 points and nine rebounds.
Alex Young put the Jaguars (5-8) within two points with just over a minute left, but he missed a jumper on their next possession.
Young led IUPUI with 19 points, while Stephen Thomas had 11 and Christian Siakam 10.
The Aztecs have the nation's second-longest active winning streak behind No. 1 Duke's 21 straight.
For the second consecutive night San Diego State won despite showing flaws on both ends of the court. The Aztecs made just 3 of 20 3-point attempts and had 12 turnovers. Kawhi Leonard, the team's leading scorer at 16.6 points per game coming in, was 3 for 10 from the field and had seven points.
Despite San Diego State's big run, IUPUI was able to get back in the game with clutch shots from Young and Siakam, giving themselves a chance to tie or win in the game's final moments.
IUPUI led 29-27 at halftime after two key baskets from Young, including a steal and dunk with just under two minutes left and a jumper on his team's last possession. The Aztecs started and finished the first half exactly the same way — with an airball.
San Diego State led by as many as six points with less than eight minutes left in the half, but poor shooting let the Jaguars tie the score at 23 and eventually take the lead.
The Aztecs made just one of 10 3-point attempts and shot 46.2 percent (12 of 26) in the first half.
