SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Jalen McDaniels had a career-high 30 points and 13 rebounds for his fifth straight double-double as San Diego State defeated UNLV 94-77 on Saturday night at Viejas Arena.
SDSU (11-8, 3-3 Mountain West) led by 11 points at halftime, and unlike in its last game against Fresno State, it didn't squander an early double-digit advantage. The Aztecs extended their bulge to 19 points about five minutes into the second half and cruised in for the win.
UNLV (11-8, 5-2) was led by Joel Ntambwe's 19 points in losing its sixth straight game at SDSU and for the 13th time in the teams' last 14 meetings. The Rebels squandered a chance to pull into a tie atop the conference standings with Nevada being idle and Fresno State losing at Colorado State.
The Aztecs looked sharp as they continue their maddening up-and-down showing in conference play. They have followed every loss with a win and they had McDaniels, who added five steals and four assists, to thank for this victory.
The 6-foot-10, 195-pound sophomore forward, who entered the game averaging nearly 20 points over his last seven games, was bothersome to the Rebels. Kawhi Leonard, during the 2010-11 season, was the last Aztecs player with five consecutive double-doubles.
UNLV entered the game among the conference leaders in numerous offensive categories but missed seven of its first eight shots as the Aztecs raced to a nine-point lead in the opening four minutes.
Amauri Hardy hit a 3-pointer, UNLV's sixth of the game, to cut the deficit to 29-27 but the Rebels missed a chance to tie the game on their following possession. McDaniels sandwiched a pair of 3-point plays around a layup by Watson to push the lead back into double figures about 2 1/2 minutes later.
BIG PICTURE
UNLV: The Rebels are trying to survive a challenging stretch of their schedule, including Saturday's game at SDSU. Two of their next three games are on the road and the home game comes against No. 7 Nevada.
San Diego State: Jalen McDaniels' string of solid play isn't going unnoticed while the Aztecs remain inconsistent. There were eight NBA scouts in attendance, with most of their focus being on McDaniels.
UP NEXT
UNLV plays visiting No. 7 Nevada on Tuesday.
San Diego State faces the Air Force Academy at home on Wednesday.