{{pageModel.leagueAbbr}} {{pageModel.subtitle}} | Las Vegas Review-Journal
National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Arizona 68, San Diego St. 67
When: 9:30 PM ET, Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Where: Stan Sheriff Center, Honolulu, Hawaii
Officials: # Don Daily, # Mike Greenstein, # Randy Heimerman
Attendance: 6514

No. 3 Arizona 68, No. 16 San Diego State 67: Nick Johnson blocked Chase Tapley’s layup in the final seconds as the Wildcats held on to win championship game of the Diamond Head Classic at Honolulu.

Mark Lyons made two free throws to give Arizona (12-0) the lead with 13.1 seconds left before Johnson (11 points) moved across the lane and leaped to knock Tapley’s seemingly open layup off the glass. Solomon Hill scored game-high 21 points and Kevin Parrom had 17 for the Wildcats, who are off to their best start since 1987-88.

Tapley scored 19 points for San Diego State (11-2), which saw its 11-game win streak end in the see-saw contest. Xavier Thames added 11 points and JJ O’Brien had 10 for the Aztecs, who are 0-12 against top-five teams.

San Diego State scored 14 of the first 18 points in the second half – seven by Thames – to take a 41-33 lead. Arizona battled back to go in front 51-50 with 10:15 remaining on a pair of free throws by Hill and there were eight more lead changes.

Hill’s 10 points helped Arizona lead by as much as seven in the first half. However, San Diego State held the Wildcats to under 30 percent shooting from the field and received 10 points from Tapley to pull within 29-27 at intermission.

GAME NOTEBOOK: San Diego State had an 11-game win streak against Pac-12 teams and a 24-game win streak in the month of December snapped. … Arizona holds a 21-7 advantage in the all-time series and won its first in-season tournament championship since the Fiesta Bowl Basketball Classic in 2005. … Aztecs’ leading scorer Jamaal Franklin finished with nine points, ending his streak of double-figure games at 32.
Top Game Performances
 
San Diego St.   Arizona
Chase Tapley 19 Scoring Solomon Hill 21
Jamaal Franklin 6 Assists Solomon Hill 3
Jamaal Franklin 8 Rebounds Brandon Ashley 7
Jamaal Franklin 5 Free Throws Made Solomon Hill 7
Jamaal Franklin 1 Steals Kevin Parrom 1
Skylar Spencer 3 Blocks Solomon Hill 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
San Diego St. 67 43.6 4-17 15-18 14 32 8 3 16
Arizona 68 37.3 5-20 19-27 10 29 3 1 8