No. 22 San Diego State Survives Defensive Battle Against Troy

Monday, December 5

San Diego, Calif.

9 p.m.

Troy University

6-4,0-0Sun Belt

San Diego State

7-2,0-0Mountain West

Troy

San Diego St.

No. 22 San Diego State Survives Defensive Battle Against Troy

12/6/2022 12:50:00 AM | Basketball (M)

Box Score BOX SCORE (PDF)

By: Troy Athletics Communications

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Matt Bradly had 19 points and four rebounds for No. 22-ranked San Diego to send Troy home without its first win over a ranked opponent, 60-55, in a defensive grudge match on Monday night at the Viejas Arena.

With Monday night's loss, the Trojans (6-4) falter their second loss to a top-25 team while suffering a third straight loss for the first time since 2020-21.

Standing 6-1, Aamer Muhammad put Troy on his back with 21 points off the bench on four 3-point shots. Christyon Eugene produced 10 points as the only other Trojan in double figures in 29 minutes – came off the bench.

Bradly shot 7-of-10 from the field to propel the Aztecs (7-2) to victory, with Darrion Trammell joining him in double figures at 14 points, four rebounds and four assists.

Tough Shots Late
Troy maintained control through the first 9:19 of the second half, extending its lead to eight points on two occasions off a layup from Zay Williams with 11:13 remaining and again with Eugene in the paint, 47-39 – 10:41 left in the game.

San Diego State's ensuing possession saw Lamont Butler open an 11-0 run at the 9:36 mark, 47-42, after drilling a 3-pointer off the assist from Bradley.

The run continued until Aguek Arop hit a second chance shot from behind the arc, 50-47 after Nathan Mensah grabbed the offensive board with 6:37 remaining.

Muhammad brought the deficit down to one point with 4:10 left at the charity stripe, 50-49, but the Aztecs continued to strike offensively in the final four minutes, outscoring Troy 10-6 to survive, 60-55.

Scoreless Opening Minutes
A 0-of-7 start from the field put Troy down early, 7-0 in the opening 4:25, while the Aztecs shot 3-of-6.

The first media timeout bailed the Trojans out as the team regrouped and fired back with a 15-4 run that saw three different players drain a 3-pointer to take their first lead, 15-11, with 8:56 left in the first.

Both sides went back and forth before the 3-point party opened back up after Eugene swiped the ball from Butler, leading to a deep basket from Muhammad, 28-23, with 2:46 remaining in the first.

A fastbreak layup from Phillips and a deep bucket from Kieffer Punter gave Troy the four-point cushion as the team went into halftime with its eighth lead at half, 33-29.

West Coast Coach Thoughts
"We missed some bunnies. We didn't execute well off of timeouts late and just missed open shots down the stretch. I got to give them credit. They are the toughest team we will play defensively all season long. We knew it was going to be tough to score, but we missed some easy layups, which cost us. I thought our guys were locked in defensively. This is a team I can identify with. This is who we need to be. There are no moral victories, but we did get better, and I'm proud of how our guys fought. We played hard, and we played together. We just have to learn how to finish basketball games."

Cali Boy Stats
• Despite the loss, Troy led most of the game, totaling 18:47 on top compared to San Diego's 15:50.
• The deep ball played to Troy's advantage, scoring nine from behind the arc while the Aztecs had four.
• Scott Cross suffered his 42^nd career loss in December, and eighth as a Troy coach – record sits at 47-42.
• For the second straight game, Muhammad led the Trojans in scoring with his second 20-point performance – finished with 21 points.

Double-Header
Troy won't see action until Saturday at 4:30 p.m. when the team follows up women's basketball at Trojan Arena against Tennessee Tech.