Point guard DJ Gay lead the Aztecs with 22 points over the USD Torreros Wednesday night in a packed Jenny Craig Pavilion. The Torerros started slowly in each period, but managed to come back in each except for OT. The Aztecs started the first half on an 8-0 run, the second half on a 13-0 runs, and OT on a 7-0 run that intimately lead the Aztecs to the 7 point win. 3 point shooting kept USD in the game; they were 9-20 in regulation but they also had a total of ZERO points in the paint in regulation. This probably makes sense since the Aztecs are much bigger than the Torerros; their ability to hit the 3 from anywhere on the court kept them dangerous and in the game at all times.
The Torreros took a 1 point lead into the half, and after a 13-0 run by the Aztecs, they spent the majority of the second half chipping away at that lead. Eventually, the Aztecs had the ball with a 52-52 tie with a chance to shoot for the win by Billy White lost the ball and SDSU was unable to get a shot off from out of bounds. Once OT started, it was all SDSU; the Torerros inability to make points inside killed them late and the Aztecs were able to put away the game.
SDSU was lead by DJ Gay who had a game high 22 points although he didn't really do anything else that a point guard is supposed to do. He had no steals and only one assist. He is going to have to work on those stats if the Aztecs want to compete against bigger more talented teams. The only other player in double figures was Tyronne Shelley with 10 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks. Malcom Thomas led the team with 10 rebounds and added 8 points. Team leaded in rebounds freshman Kawhi Leonard had 7 rebounds to go with 8 points 2 assists and 2 steals. He seemed to be less apprehensive shooting the ball today, but his main roll seems to be getting rebounds. Billy White had 9 rebounds and 8 points as well and added 2 blocks. The Aztecs actually finished 51% from the floor although this was a very low scoring game. They continued to struggle at the charity stripe with 66.7%
The Torerros were of course led by their top-scorer Brandon Johnson, who seemingly cannot miss a 3 from wherever he shoots from. Johnson finished with 21 points. The other double-digit scorers for USD were Matt Dorr with 13 and De'Jon Jackson with 10 and added 5 assists and 4 steals. The Torerros were out rebounded by the Aztecs 38-33. This is actually pretty good for USD who was absolutely dominated on the boards early. Clinton Houston led the Torerros with a game high 11 boards but nobody else on USD hit double figures in that category. Like I said, the Torerros are a small team that lives and dies by the 3. They had zero points in the paint in regulation and 2 in overtime when the Aztecs simply let them put in a layup to run down the clock. USD ended up shooting 44% from 3 land but only 34.4% from the field.