LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) -- Jalen McDaniels scored 25 points, Devin Watson added 21 and San Diego State held off Xavier 79-74 on Tuesday to earn a spot in the Maui Invitational fifth-place game.
San Diego State (3-1) was beat by top-ranked Duke in its Maui opener and fell behind by 19 early against Xavier (2-3). The Aztecs answered with a 19-3 run to pull within three by halftime and had an early 16-2 run in the second half to go up 58-49.
Xavier took No. 8 Auburn to overtime in its Maui opener and rallied against San Diego State, pulling within 64-63 with three minutes left.
The Aztecs pushed the lead back to six and hit 10 of 12 free throws in the final 47 seconds to face the winner between Iowa State and Illinois on Wednesday
Quentin Goodin led Xavier with 20 points.
Men's Hoops Beats Xavier 79-74 in Maui
