See page 7 for Women’s Basketball game photos
THE NEWSPAPER OF SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1913 VOLUME 99, ISSUE 52
MONDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2012
Aztecs conquer UCLA to rule the West
men’s basketball
women’s basketball
SDSU beats USC 80-46 Adriana Bush
Matt Kenyon
Assistant Sports Editor
Staff Writer
The San Diego State Aztecs faced off against the University of California, Los Angeles as part of the John R. Wooden Classic in Anaheim on Saturday, beating the Bruins 78-69 behind a 28-point performance by junior guard Jamaal Franklin. Junior guard Xavier Thames added 19 points with five 3-pointers to give the Aztecs their fifth consecutive win. UCLA freshman guard Jordan Adams scored a season-high 23 points and matched Thames’ five 3-pointers for the Bruins. Freshman guard Shabazz Muhammad put in 16 points and sophomore guard Norman Powell added 10 points. Senior forward DeShawn Stephens led the Aztecs in the first half with eight points and four rebounds, while Muhammad and Powell also scored eight apiece for the Bruins. The Aztecs went into the locker room in the lead 31-29 after an evenly played first half. Adams started the second half off with three back-to-back 3-pointers that tied the score, but Franklin answered with a 3-pointer followed by two 3-pointers from Thames. Franklin scored 21 of his points in
antonio zaragoza , editor in chief
Junior guard Jamaal Franklin prepares to receive the ball from a teammate. Franklin led the team with 28 points and seven assists, which helped contribute to the Aztecs 78-69 victory against the Bruins.
the second half. “You’ve just got to go out and play for your teammates and worry about winning and that’s what we do everyday,” Franklin said. “That’s all we focus on doing.” In the second half, the Aztecs went
on an 11-2 run fueled by another 3pointer from Thames that gave the Aztecs their biggest lead of the night and 11 3-pointers in the game. However, the Bruins did not give up easily and gave one last fighting attempt to catch up to SDSU.
Muhammad and Adams spurred a 6-0 Bruin run that brought UCLA within five points with two minutes left, but it proved too little too late.
MEN’S BASKETBALL continued on page 6
U.N. talks Palestine Peabody’s brings noise world
campus
Terence Chin Staff Writer
mct campus
Palestinan Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, top left, and other Palestinian delegates attend the U.N. Genral Assembly on Wednesday Sept. 21. Palestine was granted observer status by the U.N.
Declan Desmond Staff Writer
Last Thursday, Palestine was granted non-member observer state status in the U.N., with 138 of 193 member states voting in favor of a resolution to recognize the MiddleEastern country, despite protests from Israel and the U.S. While Palestine, whose legitimacy has been disputed in a long conflict with Israel, has yet to achieve full membership in the U.N., the new status will give Palestinians the legal means to challenge Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, according to The New York Times. For the Palestinian Authority, the Ramallah-based provisional government, which controls parts of the West Bank, the status upgrade is a step toward full statehood. “We did not come here seeking to delejitimize a state established years go, and that is Israel,” Palestinian
Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said in an address to the U.N. General Assembly. “Rather, we came to affirm the legitimacy of the State that must now achieve its independence, and that is Palestine.” The recognition, however, prompted strong reactions from the Israeli-American alliance. “There’s only one route to Palestinian statehood,” Israel’s ambassador to the U.N. Ron Prosor said. “That route runs through direct negotiations between Jerusalem and Ramallah that will lead to a secure and lasting peace … there are no shortcuts. No quick fixes. No instant solutions.” U.S. ambassador Susan Rice’s comments echoed the sentiment that the change in status was merely symbolic. “Today’s grand pronouncements will soon fade,” Rice said. “The Palestinian people will PALESTINE continued on page 2
San Diego State students are having various reactions to the recentlyopned coffee stand in the 24/7 Study Area in Love Library. On Nov. 15, Peabody’s Organic Coffee opened its fifth coffee cart on campus. While some students are finding the new location in the library convenient, others have complained about the noise it creates while studying. Business junior Nick Quines said he studies in the 24/7 Study Area daily. Since the opening of the new Peabody’s coffee stand, he’s found alterative locations. “About a week ago, I was here studying and sitting near the coffee shop, but I had to move toward downstairs because it was too noisy for me trying to study for an exam,” Quines said. “It was messing with my concentration.” Quines, who said he loves the company and drinks a morning cup of Peabody’s coffee daily, said he
understands that it’s convenient for students to grab a quick snack and drink in the library. Peabody’s employee and theatre arts senior Anna Krieg has been a Peabody’s barista for more than a year. Despite the noise, Krieg said a coffee cart in the library is beneficial to students. “I think it’s a good thing. I understand how it can bother people, but I think in the end people are going to appreciate it because we make good coffee,” Krieg said. “I listen to music when I study anyways, so the noise wouldn’t bother me.” Since 2006, Peabody’s has occupied outdoor coffee carts at SDSU. In addition to the new library location, Peabody’s four other coffee stands are located outside on Peterson Gym, Campanile Walkway, on Hardy Avenue across from Calpulli Center and near Education and Business Administration building. Even with Peabody’s new library location, SDSU library rules to keep food and drinks away from library computers still apply.
The San Diego State women’s basketball team showed the University of Southern California no mercy last Friday night when it defeated the Trojans 80-46. The Aztecs battled USC to lead the game in the first few minutes of the first half. But the Trojans prevailed and slowly stole the lead for the first and only time of the entire game. Senior guard Courtney Clements went on to shatter USC’s 3-point lead with a 7-point scoring spree. “We weren’t going to let there be any questions today. We wanted to come out and get ahead right away and punch them in the mouth like Coach Burns said. That’s what we did,” Clements said. “We didn’t let them come back and we didn’t let up and that’s why we won the game.” SDSU continued to hold onto the lead for the rest of the first half, while the Trojans fought hard and tried to use their speed to catch up to the Aztecs. With 16 seconds left in the first half, Clements hit a 3-pointer that gave SDSU a comfortable 14-point lead going into the locker room. The Aztecs outscored USC 38-24 in the first half, shooting 43 percent WOMEN’S BASKETBALL continued on page 6
women’s volleyball
Aztecs fall 3-2 to Gaels Courtney Muller Staff Writer
One of the best seasons in San Diego State volleyball history came to a close last Thursday as the Aztecs fell to Saint Mary’s in the first round of the NCAA tournament. SDSU left everything on the court as the team battled it out against the Gaels to ultimately lose the fight in five sets (17-25, 23-25, 25-23, 25-22,15-12). VOLLEYBALL continued on page 6
world
Bloodshed in Syria continues Christopher B. Keller Staff Writer
ana ceballos , assistant news editor
Public relations senior Deidre Weight buys an apple at the new Peabody’s Organic Coffee shop in the 24/7 Study Area in Love Library. Some students see the coffee stand as a noisy distraction.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said violence in Syria has reached “new and appalling heights of brutality,” as the 20month conflict continued on Friday. Accompanied by Syrian joint special representative Lakhdar Brahimi, Ki-moon warned the U.N. General Assembly that civilians are massacred daily and “human rights violations are being carried out on a wide scale by all combatants.” SYRIA continued on page 2