Troy University Athletics
Troy University
4-2,0-0Sun Belt
San Diego State
2-1,0-0Mountain West
Troy Stuns San Diego State in Double-Overtime Thriller, 108-107
11/19/2025 2:47:00 AM | Basketball (M)
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Troy men's basketball (4-2) went on the road to San Diego State (2-1) on Tuesday night and took down the team with the most votes outside of this week's AP Top 25, 108-107 in double overtime.
In front of a boisterous crowd of 11,531, Troy never lost its composure, nailing big shot after shot down the stretch. The Aztecs took four-point leads in both overtime periods and had all the momentum after Miles Byrd buried a heave from beyond halfcourt to send the game to overtime.
It would have been easy for Troy to pack it in on all three occasions, but that is the exact opposite of what happened. The Trojans fought back in both overtimes, and a Cooper Campbell block and Thomas Dowd rebound – one of his 19 on the night – gave Troy one of its biggest wins under head coach Scott Cross.
Dowd added 25 points, setting a new career-high for the junior. Despite fouling out late in the fourth quarter, Victor Valdes scored 20 points and assisted on four Trojan buckets. Valdes was one of three Trojans to foul out; Cobi Campbell and Kerrington Kiel also reached the five foul threshold before all was said and done.
These fouls forced Scott Cross to call on Austin Cross and true freshman Javen Colbert for crucial minutes in the overtime periods. The two responded with big moments in the win. Cross buried a clutch three in the first overtime, part of his seven points on the night.
Colbert came through at the line in the second extra period, knocking down two huge free throws - including one that came after his own steal with just 23 seconds remaining.
The Trojans led for 35 minutes and outscored the Aztecs in the paint, 38-36. San Diego State entered the seventh in the country in turnovers forced per game at 20.0. Troy turned the ball over just 13 times, while forcing 20 Aztec miscues.
The hostile environment did not bother Troy from the opening tip, as the Trojans scored the first seven points of the game, including a Victor Valdes three on the first possession of the game. The first San Diego State basket did not come until over two minutes into action.
Troy controlled the game for the first half of the opening period. Troy led by as much as 12 after a Cobi Campbell three made it 14–2.
San Diego State slowly worked their way back into the game, ultimately tying the score at 30 shortly after the final media timeout of the first half. The game would remain tied at the break, 38-38.
The second half was a test for both sides, as there were four ties and eight lead changes in the 20 minutes of play. Troy still led for the majority of the period, getting the lead up to six with under 10 minutes remaining.
The Trojans grew the lead even further, and a Cobi Campbell three-ball made it a 10-point advantage for Troy with six minutes left.
The lead shrunk, but the game seemed all but over with just two seconds remaining. After Byrd failed to hit the rim on an intentionally missed free throw with the Aztecs down two points, Thomas Dowd went to the line hoping to end the game right there.
Dowd only made one, and Byrd redeemed himself, nailing the heave to send the crowd into a frenzy.
However, the game was far from over, and there were still 10 minutes left to be played before things wrapped up in Viejas Arena.
The overtime periods were just as exhilarating as the end of regulation. San Diego State jumped out to a four-point lead in the first two minutes of overtime, but Troy responded, tying the game at 96 thanks to a tough finish by Theo Seng.
With the Trojans up two, Reese Dixon-Waters tied the game with a layup, and the two teams would play five more.
Similarly to the first period, the second overtime saw the Aztecs take an early lead yet again. This time, Troy took its first lead off a Theo Seng three, but gave it right back, as San Diego State nailed a deep ball on the other end.
Seng had two more points in him, however. With just 15 seconds remaining, the California native spun off his right shoulder, initiated contact, and banked the game-winning layup off the backboard.
Quotable – Head Coach Scott Cross
"Give all thanks to the good Lord for this victory. We went through some adversity at [Loyola Marymount] and [CSUN]; we've got some scars. It's all about how you respond to that adversity. There's no way we could have responded any better. Our guys played tough. This was a championship level effort tonight."
Notables
- Troy's 108 points were its most scored in a game since Dec. 12, 2023 against Reinhardt. Troy won the game, 110-63.
- Thomas Dowd was a force on the glass all night, hauling in a career-high 19 rebounds. The performance is tied for the fourth-most rebounds in Division I so far this season.
- Dowd also set a new career-high in points (25).
- Tonight marked Troy's first double-overtime game since Nov. 10, 2023 – an 81-80 road loss to Oregon State.
- It was the first double-overtime win for Troy since a 73-70 victory over Alcorn State on Dec. 2, 2013. Troy bested Jacksonville State in three extra periods in 2021.
- San Diego State has not given up 108 points in nearly 39 years. The Aztecs lost 110-78 to No. 20 Arizona on Dec 4, 1986.
- Cooper Campbell's block at the end of regulation sealed the game for Troy was the first block of Campbell's career.
- Victor Valdes's eight field goals were a career high.
- Cobi Campbell set a new career-high with two steals.
- Friday marked Troy's second overtime game of the season. The Trojans defeated Kent State in one overtime period to open the season.
- According to KenPom, Troy's win on Friday night was the sixth-largest upset win so far this season. At the lowest point, The Trojans were given just a 4.8 percent chance of winning the game.
- KenPom also ranks the game number two this season in its "Excitement" list.
- The win jumped Troy up 16 spots to 120 on KenPom.
- Troy is now 2-1 all-time against San Diego State.
Up Next
Troy is set for one more game in the state of California, as it will take on USC on Thursday night. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. CT inside the Galen Center, with the action live on the Big Ten Network.
