LA JOLLA, Calif. – The UC San Diego men's basketball team wraps up non-conference play on Tuesday night when the Tritons travel 19 miles southeast to face the San Diego State Aztecs. Last time out, the Tritons got back on track with a resounding 91-55 victory over Occidental, scoring a season-high points while surrendering the fewest points in any game so far this season.
 
Meantime, San Diego State last played on Dec. 12 in a 33-point home win over Kennesaw State. The Aztecs and Tritons have squared off just once as Division I foes – a 78-57 San Diego State victory last season.
 
DETAILS
Game 12
UC San Diego (5-6, 0-0 Big West) at San Diego State (8-3, 0-0 Mountain West)
Tuesday, December 20
7:30 p.m.
Viejas Arena (12,414) | San Diego, Calif.
TV: FS1
Radio: KSDT
Watch | Listen | Live Stats
Series Record: San Diego State leads, 11-0
Last Meeting: at San Diego State 78, UC San Diego 57 (Dec. 22, 2021)

ABOUT THE TRITONS
Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 5-6
Big West: 0-0
Home: 3-2
Away: 2-3
Neutral: 0-1
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: W1

TRITONS, STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

Stat	UCSD	Opp.
Points	67.3	70.5
Field Goal Pct.	.416	.434
3-Point FG Pct.	.308	.369
Free Throw Pct.	.710	.714
Rebounds	37.0	34.9
Assists	12.5	14.0
Turnovers	12.3	10.8
Steals	6.1	6.2
Blocks	2.0	2.8

ABOUT THE AZTECS
Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 8-3
Mountain West: 0-0
Home: 6-0
Away: 1-0
Neutral: 1-3
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-2
Streak: W1

LAST TIME OUT
UC San Diego drained a season-high 16 three-pointers and the Tritons rolled to a 91-55 victory over visiting Occidental Saturday afternoon at LionTree Arena. Bryce Pope scored a game-high 20 and Jake Kosakowski scored 18 and knocked down a season-high six from beyond the arc in the victory for the Tritons (5-6). Francis Nwaokorie scored 16 and grabbed nine rebounds for UC San Diego, which snapped a two-game slide.
 
LAST TIME VS. SAN DIEGO STATE
UC San Diego sophomore Jake Kosakowski scored a then-career-high 18 points and three Tritons scored in double figures, but it wasn't enough as San Diego State downed UC San Diego, 78-57, inside Viejas Arena in front of 10,912 on Dec. 22, 2021.
 
The Tritons wrap up non-conference play with a record of 6-5 and the Aztecs improved to 8-3 with the win.
 
NWAOKORIE IS UCU ATHLETE OF THE WEEK (DEC. 19)
UC San Diego sophomore Francis Nwaokorie was named University Credit Union Athlete of the Week on Monday. He averaged 13.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per contest over three games last week, shooting 55.6% overall and 40% from beyond the arc. Nwaokorie has established a new season-high in points scored in each of his last four games, including a 16-point, nine rebound effort over 22 minutes in Saturday's win over Occidental.
 
BRYCE IS A STAR!
UC San Diego redshirt junior guard Bryce Pope was recognized by the San Diego Sports Association as a Star of the Month for November. Pope averaged 19.3 points per game over seven November games. Pope drained 18 three-pointers in the month and shot 79.2% (19-24) at the free throw line while posting a 2.00 assist-to-turnover ratio. In the Tritons' win at George Washington, Pope connected on 11-of-16 field goal tries, scoring a career-high 31 points. It was the second-ever 30-plus point effort by a Triton in UC San Diego's Division I era.
 
POPE POURS 'EM IN
Bryce Pope's 31-point game in the win at George Washington (Nov. 22) was second-most in a single game scored by a Triton during the program's Division I era. He currently ranks third in The Big West in scoring with 18.6 points per game.
 
UC San Diego 30-Point Games, Division I

Name	Date	Opponent	Points	Game Score
Toni Rocak	Dec. 30, 2021	vs. UC Santa Barbara	34	W, 85-83 (OT)
Bryce Pope	Nov. 22, 2022	at George Washington	31	W, 75-70

 
POPE NAMED UCU ATHLETE OF THE WEEK (NOV. 28)
Redshirt junior guard Bryce Pope had a memorable week in lifting the Tritons to a pair of road victories to close out November. On Nov. 22 at George Washington, Pope scored a career-high 31 points on 11-of-16 shooting. On Nov. 27 at Eastern Michigan, Pope scored a game-high 20. For the week, he averaged 25.5 points, connecting on 5-of-11 three-point tries while shooting 52.9% (18-34) overall.
 
BROOKS COMES UP BIG
Senior forward J'Raan Brooks scored 16 points and corralled 13 rebounds – both career highs – in UC San Diego's win over Bethesda (Dec. 2). His seven field goals and two steals that night were also new personal bests. He was named UCU Athlete of the Week on Dec. 5.
 
TSHIMANGA POSTS UP
Junior transfer Emmanuel Tshimanga pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds, blocked a pair of shots, and scored six points over 21 minutes in the Tritons' win at Eastern Michigan (Nov. 27).
 
POPE PUTS IT AWAY
In UC San Diego's victory over Cal (Nov. 15), Bryce Pope hit a contested three-pointer with just 10.9 seconds to play, lifting the Tritons to a 64-62 win. This wasn't the first Time the shooting guard came up big late in a game. Last season at CSU Bakersfield, Pope hit the game winning jumper in the paint with 1.4 seconds on the clock (March 3).
 
TRAVEL LOG
UC San Diego concluded a stretch of four consecutive games in the Eastern time zone on Nov. 27 with a 2-2 mark. This year's schedule features games in five states plus Washington, D.C.
 
TIME TRAVEL
The Nov. 18 game at Navy marked UC San Diego's first in the Eastern time zone since the then-Division II Tritons played an exhibition game at Pittsburgh in October 2013. That game marked Eric Olen's first as Tritons' head coach.
 
PRODUCTION OFF THE BENCH
In UC San Diego's season opener vs. Seattle U (Nov. 7), the Tritons received a combined 25 points off the bench from a pair of newcomers: freshman point guard Roddie Anderson III scored 10 while adding six rebounds and five assists in his first collegiate game. Playing his first game as a Triton, junior center Emmanuel Tshimanga added 15 points and a pair of blocked shots over 15 minutes.
 
KOS AND EFFECT
Junior forward Jake Kosakowski led the nation in three-point field goal percentage last season, connecting on 47.3% of his attempts from beyond the arc. His 70 made threes led The Big West. He knocked down a career-best eight at Long Beach State (Feb. 24).
 
MAKING THEIR MARK FROM DISTANCE
UC San Diego led The Big West in three-point field goals (265) and three-point field goal percentage (.370) last season.
 
A BIG WELCOME TO NWAOKORIE
Sophomore forward Francis Nwaokorie was a finalist for the Kyle Macy Award in 2022, given to the nation's top Division I freshman. In his first season at UC San Diego, Nwaokorie made quite an impact. He started 24 games, averaging 11.8 points and 5.8 boards per contest. In a win over then-first place Cal State Fullerton on Feb. 26, he scored a career-high 23 points while grabbing nine rebounds.

Nwaokorie was named to the Zootown Classic All-Tournament Team and at season's end, he was named the top freshman in the Big West by the web site hoopshd.com.
 
HEAD COACH ERIC OLEN
In his tenth season as head coach, Eric Olen has transformed the program. In the team's second Division I season, the Tritons strung together 13 victories, including a season-opening win at Cal – UC San Diego's first triumph over a Pac-12 opponent.

In Division II, Olen led the Tritons to three California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) regular season titles, four consecutive CCAA tournament crowns over seven seasons. In Division II, he posted a .740 winning percentage, and he was named NABC West Region Coach of the Year for the first time in 2019-20 after leading the Tritons to a 30-1 record and the top seed in the NCAA West Region.
 
Olen's career coaching record stands at 184-88 (.675) and he needs just one more victory to tie Tom Marshall as the program's all-time wins leader.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
UC San Diego begins Big West play for the third time Dec. 29 with a pair of games on the road. The Tritons will play at Long Beach State (Dec. 29, 7 p.m.) and at UC Santa Barbara (Dec. 31, 4 p.m.) next week. Both games can be seen on ESPN+ with live stats on UCSDTritons.com.
 
NEW LOOK TO BIG WEST STANDINGS
Now in year three of its four-year NCAA reclassification to Division I, UC San Diego will be included in The Big West standings for the first time. The conference elected to exclude the Tritons from the standings and conference statistics in each of the last two seasons.
 
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
Returners
J'Raan Brooks, Sr., F
Fallou Cisse, R-Fr., F
Justin DeGraaf, So., F
Jake Kosakowski, Jr., F
Francis Nwaokorie, So., F
Michael Pearson Jr., So., G
Bryce Pope, Jr., G
Jace Roquemore, Jr., G
Vuk Vulikic, Jr., G
 
Newcomers
Roddie Anderson III, Fr., G
Camden McCormick, Fr., G
Quin Patterson, Fr., G/F
Cade Pendleton, Fr., F
Emmanuel Tshimanga, Jr., C (UC Irvine)
 
INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR
This year's Tritons squad boasts scholar-athletes from three foreign countries:
 
Fallou Cisse, Senegal
Emmanuel Tshimanga, Canada
Vuk Vulikic, Serbia
 
SEVEN NAMED TO NABC HONORS COURT FOR ACADEMIC SUCCESS
Seven UC San Diego men's basketball scholar-athletes were named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court for excelling in the classroom. J'Raan Brooks, Matt Gray, Jake Killingsworth, Jake Kosakowski, Justin Pratt, Jace Roquemore and Lunden Taylor represent the Tritons on this year's Honors Court. UC San Diego is also a recipient of the 2021-22 NABC Team Academic Excellence Award.
 
The NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards recognize men's basketball programs that completed the 2021-22 academic year with a team GPA of 3.0 or higher. The NABC Honors Court, meanwhile, includes junior, senior and graduate student men's basketball players who finished the 2021-22 year with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher.
 
OUR HOME HAS A NEW NAME!
UC San Diego's basketball home has been named LionTree Arena in recognition of a $5 million gift for scholar-athletes from LionTree, an independent investment and merchant bank with expertise in technology, media and the digital economy. LionTree was founded by UC San Diego alumnus Aryeh B. Bourkoff, who also serves as the firm's CEO. LionTree's gift is the largest ever received by UC San Diego Athletics, establishing the LionTree Endowed Scholarship Fund to support scholar-athletes. The gift total contributed to the Campaign for UC San Diego, which concluded on June 30, 2022. Bourkoff also served as co-chair of the Campaign for UC San Diego Cabinet.
 
DIVISION I FIRSTS

First Season	2020-21
First Game	Dec. 22, 2020 vs. Saint Katherine
First Win over Division I Opponent	Jan. 22, 2021 vs. UC Davis
First Basket vs. D1 Opponent	Jace Roquemore (1/8/21) vs. UC Irvine
First Division I Road Win	Nov. 9, 2021 at Cal
First Big West Road Win	Feb. 3, 2022 at CSUN

 
WHY THE TRITONS?
The Triton is described as the offspring of Poseidon and Amphitrite, a demigod of the sea with a lower part of the body like that of a fish. It is known as a mighty and fierce sea warrior. Given UC San Diego's close proximity to the Pacific Ocean and its connections with the world-famous Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the Triton became our mascot in 1964.
 
TRITON BOX OFFICE
Single game tickets to UC San Diego basketball home games are now on-sale. For more information or to purchase, click here. Currently enrolled UC San Diego students are provided free admission by showing a valid campus ID at the arena entrance.

GAME DAY HAS A NEW LOOK
Triton fans now have a whole new way to access game day information, as game programs have gone digital! Fans can visit UCSDTritons.com/MBBgameday from their smart phone or scan the QR code at the entrance to LionTree Arena for everything they need to know about each home game, including updated rosters, schedules, and stats for each team, as well as links to watch on ESPN+.

COVERING THE TRITONS
Media members wishing to cover a UC San Diego game in-person at LionTree Arena must notify a member of the Athletics Communications staff no later than 24 hours prior to the game.

Following the conclusion of each home game, a video highlight melt and video postgame interviews will be made available for media members to download.
 
ON THE MOVE
After 20 seasons playing as an NCAA Division II team, the entire athletics program is in its third year of a four-year transition to NCAA Division I, culminating in full DI status as a member of The Big West for the 2024-25 academic year. At that time, all sports will be eligible for conference and NCAA postseason play.
 
UC SAN DIEGO ON THE WORLDWIDE LEADER
Most UC San Diego home men's and women's basketball games, men's and women's soccer matches, men's and women's volleyball matches, baseball and softball games are broadcast live on ESPN+. For more information on where to watch UC San Diego basketball, visit UCSDTritons.com/live.
 
HOOPS TALK ON UC SAN DIEGO ATHLETICS' PODCAST
As part of UC San Diego's transition to Division I, the Athletics Department launched a weekly podcast, Tritoncast. Produced by UC San Diego Athletics Communications, Tritoncast features in-depth interviews with UC San Diego personalities including scholar-athletes, alums, coaches, and administrators. Triton fans will get an inside look at the UC San Diego Athletics Department as the program transitions to NCAA Division I and The Big West. New episodes of Tritoncast are available each week on the most popular podcasting apps. In addition, each episode can be heard and downloaded on UCSDTritons.com. For individual show information and listen links, follow Tritoncast on Twitter @Tritoncast.
 
MEN'S BASKETBALL ON TRITONCAST

Episode	Published	Guest(s)	Listen Link
08	8/19/20	Adam Klie '17, program's D2 leading scorer	Listen
13	9/23/20	John Saintignon, impact of John Wooden	Listen
23	12/02/20	Jordan Lawley '10, NBA training center	Listen
30	1/20/21	Gabe Hadley '21, pro in Australia	Listen
67	11/02/22	Head Coach Eric Olen, season preview	Listen

 
GET SOCIAL WITH UC SAN DIEGO HOOPS
Keep up with the Tritons all season long on social media through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. The team's handle is @ucsdmbb.
 
FOR THE YOUNGER CROWD
Got some young Triton fans in your family? If they are eighth grade or under, check out the Junior Triton Club. Membership includes a free t-shirt, admission to over 100 UC San Diego home athletic events, and much more!

GEAR
For the latest Triton apparel and accessories, click here.
 
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of The Big West in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.