The San Diego State Aztecs (6-3) came into their match against the Cal State Fullerton Titans (4-5) with a 13-game win streak at Viejas Arena dating back to last season. Their 65-55 victory over the Titans improved their streak to 14 games.
The 10-point victory was a hard-earned one for the Scarlet and Black as they entered halftime with that same 10-point lead. CSUF was pesky in the second half, giving SDSU a run for their money and at one point tying the game against the team that was a 20-point favorite heading into the match.
Aztecs’ head coach Brian Dutcher said his team could have played better, but he was happy to get the win.
“Can we play better; 100% we can play better,” Dutcher said. “But did we play good enough to win tonight? Yes, we did, and so I’m happy with that.”
The Aztecs began the night with all of the momentum, being up by as many as 14 points in the first half before going into halftime with the 10-point lead. The Titans refused to go away quietly, however, as they eventually tied the game after outsourcing the Scarlet and Black 17-7 just a little over seven minutes into the second half.
SDSU would regain and hold the lead for the remainder of the game, but not without CSUF on their heels at every corner. Senior guard Trey Pulliam said competing in close games like this will make them better.
“The main thing for us is just staying together I think, and fighting through adversity,” Pulliam said. “I think it was big for us to get a win with the team coming back like that having the big lead in the beginning and for us to stay together as a team.”
Leading the charge for the Aztecs was senior guard Matt Bradley, sinking eight of his 18 shots for 22 points including two shots from downtown and all four of his shots from the charity line.
Bradley has been a consistent producer for SDSU this season since transferring from Cal Berkeley, and his teammates say his aggressive style really shows itself on the court.
“He comes out strong all the time,” Pulliam said. “He’s always in attack mode looking to score.”
Pulliam was also productive for the Scarlet and Black, scoring 15 points while sinking all four of his free-throws. Senior guard Adam Seiko had a career-high 11 points scored after sinking four of his six shots — three of his shots landing from the three-point line.
After being out two games with a leg injury, Seiko said it felt good to be back on the court.
“I didn’t expect to be out for those two games, but you know, shout out to [Athletic Trainer] Sergio [Ibarra] and the treatment he’s been giving me,” Seiko said. “I’m back to 100 percent so it feels good to go out there and feel healthy and also hit my shots out there.”
Seiko and the Aztecs will take a small break for finals week before heading to Phoenix, Arizona to take on Saint Mary’s in the Jerry Colangelo Classic on Dec. 17.
