Nick Johnson scored 23 points and freshman Aaron Gordon added 16 points and eight rebounds to lead No. 6 Arizona to a 69-60 victory over San Diego State on Thursday night.
JJ O'Brien and Xavier Thames had 19 points each for the Aztecs (1-1), who had won two of the last three meetings with Arizona (3-0), the loss coming in the final seconds of last year's Diamond Head Classic.
Arizona had a 14-point lead midway through the second half, but San Diego State rallied, closing within four points on Thames' layup with less than 2 minutes remaining.