Troy came into the crosstown rivalry game looking to remain undefeated in league and they did so with a 49-41 win over Fullerton. 
Troy came out of the gates aggressive on defense, as guard Alec Sinekhustled back for a chase-down block and center Cole Yauney patrolled the paint altering shots and picking up a block.
Recognizing the length of the Troy defenders, Fullerton guard Terry Kangdrove inside for a scoop layup high over the outstretched arms of Yauney. At the end of the first quarter the score was tied at 10-10.
In the second quarter, Stone Sinek, Fullerton coach Scott Sinek’s son, hit a layup and J. Rodriguez hit a three pointer to put the Indians up by five.
The Warriors (9-9, 2-0) answered back as Jared Reyes got a steal and finished a toughlayup inside.Ty Lassiter scored another layup and Reyes hit a three pointer to cap the run.
Troy applied full court pressure but Fullerton guard Kang got separation from his man, split the defense, and finished a layup high off the glass to end the half. Fullerton still trailed by four as Troy led 28-24.
Three pointers in the third quarter from Fullerton by Rodriguez and Travis Bush from tied the game at 29-29.
Troy struggled from the free throw line as Sinek, Reyes, and Yauney all missed free throws after being fouled. Lassiter got a rebound off a miss on one end of the floor and went coast to coast, muscling his way inside for two. Fullerton led after three quarters at 38-36.
A scary moment to start the fourth quarter occurred when Troy guard Reyes banged his knee with another player while taking a charge. He stayed on the ground for a few minutes and had to be walked off the court and taken to the locker room.
After a timeout, Troy began playing with more urgency, taking it aggressively inside. Even if they didn’t finish on the initial drive, they kept many possessions alive by crashing the glass. Offensive rebounds by Yauney led to layups by Sinek and Lassiter to put Troy up 45-41.
J. Rodriguez answered with a pull-up three pointer to pull the Indians within one. Seeing the Warriors were struggling with their free throws, the Indians took their chances at the foul game, making their opponent earn it at the line.
Up by three, Lassiter had a chance to put the game away with two free throws but missed the first one. After missing the second, he got his own rebound and Troy got another possession.
Alec Sinek missed a three pointer but got his own rebound as well and that sealed the game.
Troy struggled from the free throw line and also from three point range but coach Mason believes “we’ve been a pretty good consistent shooting team, from the free throw line and three point range so I don’t want to overblow one game when we’ve shot well for the last month and a half.”
“The most important thing is mental focus and gauging our performance rather than the scoreboard. Winning close here I don’t think we played to our potential. We need more patience and confidence to execute down the stretch.”
The Warriors will need to play to their full potential as they host the Sonora Raiders (18-3, 2-1) this Friday 1/19 at 7:30 pm.
Fullerton has an away game against the La Habra Highlanders (7-11, 1-1) also this Friday at 7:30 pm.
