SAN DIEGO – Matt Bradley led all scorers with 23 points and Trey Pulliam added 15 as the San Diego State men's basketball team defeated the UC Riverside Highlanders 66-53 to open the 2021-22 season on Tuesday night in Viejas Arena.
Bradley's 23 points are the most for an Aztecs in his debut since Jerome Habel scored 23 against California on Nov. 18, 2006. Bradley has scored in double figures in 14 straight games.
San Diego State's win over UC Riverside was its 12th in as many tries and is the second longest active winning streak for the program against any opponent. It is also the 16th straight victory against an in-state opponent, the 20th straight against a Big West foe and the ninth consecutive season opening win.
The lead changed five times in the first 13 minutes, but a layup by Keshad Johnson with 6:55 to go in the half gave San Diego State a 22-20 lead, one it would not relinquish. The Aztecs used a 10-0 run late in the half to build a double-digit lead and took a 40-30 advantage into halftime.
UC Riverside got the lead down to four points three times in the second half before the Aztecs put the game away and won by 13.
Pulliam reached double figure scoring for the fifth time in the last six games and Nathan Mensah added eight points, 10 rebounds and a pair of blocks. He has 102 blocks in his career and is now tied with Billy White for No. 8 on the program's career blocked shots list.
San Diego State next travels to Brigham Young for a Friday matchup with the Cougars in Provo. The tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. MT.
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