LAHAINA, Hawaii -- 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 blown out 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.