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ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - Xavier Thames scored a career-high 27 points and San Diego State held off a late rally to beat No. 25 Marquette 67-59 in the championship game of the Wooden Legacy on Sunday night.
The game was tied at 53 with 3 1/2 minutes remaining, but the Aztecs (5-1) closed with a 14-4 run to knock off their second ranked opponent in two games.
Thames, who was named tournament MVP, shot 7 of 16 from the field, including 5 for 6 from three-point range. He also drained six free throws in the finals 40 seconds to secure the win.
Josh Davis had a game-high 11 rebounds and joined Thames on the all-tournament team, and Dakari Allen and Winston Shepard each scored eight points for SDSU.
Deonte Burton scored 15 points to lead Marquette (5-3), which lost to its second unranked opponent in a week.
The win marked the first time in program history the Aztecs beat a ranked opponent in consecutive games. They also beat No. 20 Creighton in the tournament semifinals on Friday. SDSU has now defeated a ranked opponent 12 times since January 2010.
Thames, a senior guard, was the only Aztec to score more than eight points. SDSU shot just 39.3 percent from the field (22 of 56) but made up for it with solid performances from 3 point-range (6 for 12) and from the free throw line (17 for 23).
The Aztecs had 44-37 lead with 12:56 remaining, but Burton and the Eagles charged back to pull into a 53-53 tie. Burton, a freshman forward, scored 11 points in the spurt.
SDSU didn't let it stay tied for long. Winston Shepard hit a pair of free throws and followed with an emphatic dunk that began a 12-2 Aztecs run and ended the Golden Eagles' comeback attempt.
Marquette was held without a field goal from the 4:32 mark until there was 14 seconds left in the game, a cold stretch that allowed SDSU to pull away.
Jamil Wilson scored nine points and was named to the all-tournament team, and Derrick Wilson also scored nine for the Golden Eagles.
Thames scored 15 points in the first half to help SDSU take a 32-30 lead at halftime.
Marquette came back and even led 50-48 with six minutes remaining in the game, but that lead lasted just 24 seconds as Thames hit a 3-pointer to give San Diego State the lead for good.
Along with Thames, Davis and Wilson, Creighton senior Doug McDermott and George Washington senior Isaiah Armwood were selected to the all-tournament team.
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