ABOUT THE GAUCHOS
Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 6-1
Big West: 0-0
Home: 4-1
Away: 2-0
Neutral: 0-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: W2
 
WHAT'S NEXT
UC San Diego returns to La Jolla for its Big West home opener on Saturday. The Tritons and Roadrunners square off for a 7 p.m. tip on ESPN+. It's Youth Night at LionTree Arena and tickets can be purchased through the Triton Box Office.
 
LAST TIME OUT: TRITONS 109, LA VERNE 33 | Box Score
Six Tritons scored in double figures – and five established new career scoring highs – as UC San Diego rolled to a 109-33 victory over visiting La Verne Saturday afternoon inside LionTree Arena. The victory was the fourth straight for the Tritons (6-2), whose 76-point margin of victory was its largest since moving to NCAA Division I.
 
UC San Diego newcomer Justin Rochelin hit 6-of-10 field goal tries, sophomore Aidan Burke (12 points) knocked down four-of-five three-point attempts, and freshman Ryder Elisaldez scored 10 and dished out four assists in the win. Cade Pendleton scored 10 and grabbed four rebounds for the Tritons, and Tyler McGhie (13) and Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones (10 points, six rebounds) netted double digit points in the win. Redshirt freshman Jasen Brooks had a standout afternoon, scoring seven points, grabbing seven rebounds, and doling out six assists with no turnovers.
 

?? Highlights from our big Saturday win!#GoTritons pic.twitter.com/yOYtZDCiUC

— UC San Diego Men's Hoops (@UCSDmbb) December 1, 2024

LAST TIME VS. THE GAUCHOS: TRITONS 61, UCSB 46 (Feb. 15) | Box Score
Junior Francis Nwaokorie was one of three Tritons in double figures, scoring 13 points and grabbing 10 rebounds as the Tritons downed visiting UC Santa Barbara, 61-46, in LionTree Arena. The win gave the Tritons (16-9 overall, 10-3 Big West) a season sweep over the Gauchos for the first time as UC San Diego improved to 11-1 at home this season. First year Triton Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones added a double-double of his own with 13 and 12, and Bryce Pope led all scorers with 15 in the win.
 
TRITONS VS. THE BIG WEST
Here's a look at how UC San Diego has stacked up against conference competition since joining The Big West prior to the 2020-21 season:
 

Opponent	Home	Road	Neutral	Total	Streak
Cal Poly	1-1	2-1	0-0	3-2	W3
Cal State Bakersfield	2-1	1-4	0-0	3-5	L1
Cal State Fullerton	4-1	1-1	0-0	5-2	W2
CSUN	3-0	3-0	0-0	6-0	W6
Hawai'i	1-2	0-3	0-0	1-5	L1
Long Beach State	1-2	1-2	0-0	2-4	L1
UC Davis	1-3	1-2	0-0	2-5	L1
UC Irvine	1-3	1-3	0-0	2-6	W1
UC Riverside	3-2	1-3	0-0	4-5	W2
UC Santa Barbara	2-1	1-4	0-0	3-5	W2

 
BATTLE TESTED

• The Tritons won three games in three days to win the Boardwalk Battle multi-team event (MTE) in Daytona Beach, Florida (Nov. 21-23). Tournament notes:
• Tyler McGhie was named tournament MVP
• Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones was named All-Tournament
• UC San Diego beat Toledo, 80-45, in the title game.
  • The 35-point margin of victory is the Tritons' largest against a Division I opponent.
  • The 45 points allowed are the fewest surrendered by UC San Diego to a Division I foe.

 
I'LL TAKE THAT!
Triton senior point guard Hayden Gray leads the nation with 31 steals through the team's first eight games.
 
TY'S THE GUY
Tyler McGhie has made 30 threes this season – 3.8 per game – both of which lead The Big West. He captured conference Player of the Week honors Nov. 25. Last year, McGhie was named the conference's Best Sixth Player and captured Honorable Mention All-Big West recognition.
 
WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS
Tyler McGhie, Big West Player of the Week, Nov. 25
Tyler McGhie, UCU Athlete of the Week, Nov. 11, Nov. 25
Justin Rochelin, UCU Athlete of the Week, Dec. 2
 
OLEN IS BIG WEST COACH OF THE YEAR
After leading the Tritons to a second place finish in The Big West and more than doubling the team's win total from the prior season, Eric Olen captured Big West Coach of the Year honors and was named a finalist for the Hugh Durham Award. Now in his 12th season as head coach, Olen has transformed the program. He is the program's all-time leader in victories.

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 216-116 (.651).
 
NIWA'S NOT A NEWCOMER ANYMORE!
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones was named to the Big West Preseason Coaches' Team. Last year, captured Big West Newcomer of the Year honors – the first Triton to win this award. In his first year at UC San Diego, Tait-Jones was tenth in the conference in scoring at 15.2 points per game against Big West foes. The New Zealand native was remarkably efficient, connecting on 59% of his shot attempts over 20 Big West games. Tait-Jones was also named Honorable Mention All-Big West.
 
TIME TRAVELERS
UC San Diego plays games in four time zones this season. In addition to the Boardwalk Battle in Florida (Eastern Time) and home games in the Pacific Time Zone, the Tritons will play at Utah State (Mountain Time) and Hawai'i (Hawai'i-Aleutian Time). All told, UC San Diego will play games in at least six states this season.
 
BIG WEST POSTSEASON
The Tritons concluded the 2023-24 season with a 15-5 mark in conference play. Despite finishing second in The Big West standings last year, conference regulations prevented the Tritons from taking part in the eight-team Big West Championship. That won't be the case this year with UC San Diego fully eligible for conference and NCAA postseason play.
 
NEW-LOOK TRITONS
Seven newcomers have joined the Tritons' roster for the 2024-25 season: five transfers and two first-year scholar-athletes. Chris Howell (Saint Mary's), Nordin Kapic (Lynn), Maximo Milovich (Biola), Justin Rochelin (Oregon State) and Milos Vicentic (McKendree) transferred to UC San Diego. First-year Tritons include Christopher Cox (Salt Lake City) and Ryder Elisaldez (Las Vegas).
 
A FINE CONNECTION
Three Tritons hail from San Diego: point guards Hayden Gray (Santa Fe Christian) and Camden McCormick (Francis W. Parker) along with guard Chris Howell (Torrey Pines) are all from America's Finest City.
 
TRITONS SIGN TWO FOR CLASS OF 2029
The UC San Diego men's basketball program is excited to announce that high school standouts Jake Hall (Carlsbad, Calif.) and Uriah Tenette (Prescott, Ariz.) have signed financial aid agreements with the intent to join the team as freshmen for the 2025-26 academic year. 
 
INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR
This year's Tritons squad boasts four scholar-athletes from foreign countries:
 
Nordin Kapic, Vienna, Austria
Maximo Milovich, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, New Zealand
Milos Vicentic, Belgrade, Serbia
 
NO SURPRISES: STARTING OFF STRONG
UC San Diego used the same starting lineup in each of its 33 games last year. The Tritons were the only Division I team to use the same starting five every time out. Two of last year's starters return: Hayden Gray and Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones.
 
21 IN 24
Last season, UC San Diego won 21 games for the first time at the Division I level. The Tritons had five consecutive seasons of 20+ victories under head coach Eric Olen in Division II from 2015-16 through 2019-20.
 
1,000-POINT SCORERS
Here are the program's top all-time scorers, including games played at other institutions:
 

Name	Years	Games Played	Points
Paul Trainer	1971-75	104	1,930
Matt Aune	1993-97	100	1,780
Mike Wall	1995-99	100	1,700
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones	2020-pr.	103	1,653
Bryce Pope	2020-24	105	1,627
Greg Kaminsky	1983-87	104	1,588
Tim Rapp	1987-91	75	1,556
Adam Klie	2013-17	118	1,524
Christian Oshita	2016-20	100	1,505
Chris Hansen	2015-20	113	1,418
Rick Batt	1988-92	106	1,410
Jordan Lawley	2006-10	110	1,398
Tyler McGhie	2020-pr.	101	1,389
James McCann	2010-14	107	1,339
Drew Dyer	2012-16	108	1,333
Milos Vicentic	2024-pr.	74	1,229
Clint Allard	2004-08	112	1,150
Francis Nwaokorie	2021-24	91	1,088
Nordin Kapic	2024-pr.	60	1,084

 
GAME DAY GOES DIGITAL
Triton fans can access game day information from their smart phones by visiting UCSDTritons.com/MBBgameday or scanning 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+.

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, men's and women's water polo games, 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 X @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
74	2/22/23	Emmanuel Tshimanga, Canada hoops	Listen
84	8/30/23	J'Raan Brooks, Tritons in Italy	Listen
88	11/01/23	Head Coach Eric Olen, season preview	Listen
89	1/24/24	Bryce Pope, team's leading scorer	Listen
108	10/30/24	Head Coach Eric Olen, season preview	Listen

 
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 84 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.