SAN DIEGO (AP)- Xavier Thames scored 12 points, including the winning basket with 1.8 seconds remaining, to give San Diego State a 56-54 victory over USC on Thursday night. Maurice Jones banked in a long three-pointer to tie the score at 54-54 with 6.8 seconds to go. Thames took the inbounds pass and dribbled the length of the floor to score on a layup. Jamaal Franklin scored 14 points to lead San Diego State (4-1), which played its fifth game in seven days. Jones led USC (1-2) with 15 points, and Garrett Jackson added 13. San Diego State took its biggest lead, 54-45, with 2:46 remaining on a steal and basket by DeShawn Stephens. Jackson hit consecutive 3-pointers to pull USC within 54-51 with 1:27 left. USC built a 25-21 lead at halftime as San Diego State shot just 29.1 percent from the field, including 1 for 10 from 3-point range. The second half opened with nine lead changes and four ties before Chase Tapley hit a 3-pointer to put San Diego State up for good at 41-38 with 11:41 remaining. San Diego State is 2-10 overall against USC and broke a five- game losing streak against the Trojans. This was the first meeting between the teams since December 1999. The Aztecs extended their winning streak at home against unranked opponents to 47 games and improved to 32-2 at Viejas Arena since the start of the 2009-10 season.
