JJ O’Brien scored 18 points to lead San Diego State to a 76-64 victory over St. John’s Friday in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament in Charlotte.
The Aztecs now face the South’s top seed, Duke University, on Sunday. The game begins at 5:40 p.m. Pacific time.
Dwayne Polee II, who transferred from St. John’s early in his college career, scored 15 points against his old school.
“Tonight we beat a team that’s very hard to guard, and we statistically are a pretty good defensive team, and we had a hard time keeping them in front of us, especially in the first half,” said SDSU Coach Steve Fisher after the game.
“But our guys did a nice job, I love the way we compete and play for one another, so really good win for San Diego State and we’re glad that we’re here and going to be playing another game on Sunday.”
The Aztecs are now 18-0 in their last 18 games, the nation’s longest active winning streak.
