LONG BEACH, Calif. – UC San Diego wraps up its only week with two road games during Big West action on Saturday when the Tritons visit UC Riverside. Thursday night, UC San Diego got back on track with a resounding 26-point win at Long Beach State.
Tyler McGhie scored 26 and UC San Diego (15-3 overall, 5-1 Big West) scored 32 points in the paint to secure the victory. Meantime, UC Riverside was thwarted by a buzzer-beater at UC Santa Barbara Thursday night. The Highlanders (10-8, 3-3) have lost three straight.
The Highlanders lead the series between these two teams, 18-8 (5-4 in Division I). The Tritons swept last year's season series after UCR won both meetings the season prior.
Saturday's game is scheduled for a 5 p.m. tip-off from SRC Arena and will air live on ESPN+ and KSDT radio, with live stats available on UCSDTritons.com.
DETAILS
Game 19
UC San Diego (15-3, 5-1 Big West) at UC Riverside (10-8, 3-3 Big West)
Saturday, Jan. 18 | 5 p.m.
SRC Arena (3,168) | Riverside
TV:
ESPN+
Radio:
KSDT
Live Stats:
UCSDTritons.com
Series Record: UC Riverside leads, 18-8 (UCR 5-4 in Division I)
Last Meeting: UC San Diego 77 at UCR 65 (Feb. 22, 2024)
ABOUT THE TRITONS
Roster |
Schedule |
Stats
Overall: 15-3
Big West: 5-1
Home: 6-2
Away: 6-1
Neutral: 3-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: W1
TRITONS, STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
| Stat |
UCSD |
Opp. |
| Points |
80.2 |
61.6 |
| Field Goal Pct. |
.463 |
.409 |
| 3-Point FG Pct. |
.350 |
.359 |
| Free Throw Pct. |
.749 |
.709 |
| Rebounds |
34.5 |
33.1 |
| Assists |
15.3 |
10.9 |
| Turnovers |
9.1 |
16.9 |
| Steals |
10.9 |
4.7 |
| Blocks |
1.9 |
2.7 |
ABOUT THE HIGHLANDERS
Roster |
Schedule |
Stats
Overall: 10-8
Big West: 3-3
Home: 6-1
Away: 4-7
Neutral: 0-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: L3
WHAT'S NEXT
UC San Diego is back at LionTree Arena to host UC Santa Barbara Thursday at 7 p.m. It's the 40th annual Spirit Night on campus, and the game will air live on Spectrum SportsNet, ESPN+, and KSDT radio, with live stats available on UCSDTritons.com. Tickets can be purchased through
Triton Box Office.
LAST TIME OUT: TRITONS 80, LONG BEACH STATE 54 | Box Score
UC San Diego shot a season-best 58% and got back on track with an 80-54 victory over Long Beach State Thursday night at LBSU's Goldmine.
Tyler McGhie scored 26 on 10-of-16 shooting for UC San Diego (15-3 overall, 5-1 Big West) in the win.
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones added 18 – he hit six-of-eight tries – as the Tritons won their sixth road game of the season and claimed the program's second-ever win at Long Beach.
NATIONALLY RANKED
UC San Diego is ranked No. 10 in this week's Mid-Major Top 25® college basketball poll. Now in its 26th season, the Mid-Major Top 25® is voted on by 31 Division I coaches. The poll is announced every Monday.
NOTHIN' BUT NET
UC San Diego has an NCAA NET Ranking of 47 as of Friday, Jan. 17, second in The Big West behind UC Irvine (44).
MARGIN OF VICTORY
UC San Diego leads Division I with a turnover margin of 7.8. The Tritons have won the turnover battle in 17 of their first 18 games.
MARGIN OF VICTORY II
The Tritons are tops in The Big West with a scoring margin of 18.6. During conference play, that gap jumps to 18.8. Nationally, UC San Diego's margin of victory sits ninth.
STINGY ON D
UC San Diego leads The Big West in scoring defense, allowing just 61.6 points per game for the season and 61.5 points per game in Big West play. Nationally, the 61.6 points per game allowed is ninth best.
I'LL TAKE THAT!
Triton senior point guard
Hayden Gray leads the nation with 67 steals and 3.72 steals per game through the team's first 18 games. Gray came away with a career-high seven thefts in the Tritons' win at USD (Dec. 21).
TY'S THE GUY
Tyler McGhie has made 67 three-pointers this season, tied for the most in Division I. His 3.78 threes per game ranks second nationally. McGhie captured conference Player of the Week honors on Dec. 23 and 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, Dec. 23
Tyler McGhie, UCU Athlete of the Week, Nov. 11, Nov. 25, Dec. 23
Justin Rochelin, UCU Athlete of the Week, Dec. 2
Nordin Kapic, UCU Athlete of the Week, Dec. 9, Dec. 30
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, UCU Athlete of the Week, Dec. 16, Jan. 6
Tyler McGhie, Lou Henson National Player of the Week, Dec. 23
HEAD COACH ERIC OLEN
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 225-117 (.658).
NIWA'S NOT A NEWCOMER ANYMORE!
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones is second nationally in free throws (120) and fourth in free throw attempts (151). He ranks fourth in The Big West in scoring at 18.0 points per game. The New Zealand native was named to the Big West Preseason Coaches' Team. Last year, Tait-Jones captured Big West Newcomer of the Year honors – the first Triton to win this award – and he was also named Honorable Mention All-Big West.
NO SURPRISES: STARTING OFF STRONG
UC San Diego has used the same starting lineup in each of its first 18 games this season. Last year, UC San Diego used the same starting lineup in all 33 games. The Tritons were the only Division I team to use the same starting five every time out in 2023-24. Two of last year's starters return:
Hayden Gray and
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones.
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 |
2-1 |
2-1 |
0-0 |
4-2 |
W4 |
| Cal State Bakersfield |
3-1 |
1-4 |
0-0 |
4-5 |
W1 |
| Cal State Fullerton |
4-1 |
2-1 |
0-0 |
6-2 |
W3 |
| 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 |
2-2 |
0-0 |
3-4 |
W1 |
| UC Davis |
1-3 |
1-2 |
0-0 |
2-5 |
L1 |
| UC Irvine |
1-4 |
1-3 |
0-0 |
2-7 |
L1 |
| UC Riverside |
3-2 |
1-3 |
0-0 |
4-5 |
W2 |
| UC Santa Barbara |
2-1 |
2-4 |
0-0 |
4-5 |
W3 |
WHOLE LOTTA POINTS
UC San Diego is one of 11 Division I institutions with five or more active 1,000-point scorers on its roster. Here are the team's current leading scorers (includes games played at other institutions):
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 began a new era in 2020 as a member of The Big West Conference 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 earned 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 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Divisions I and II.
