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UC San Diego

Alex Chaikin
Jae Choi/UC San Diego

Men's Basketball

Tritons Host Huskies in Homecoming Clash

LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego men's basketball is back in action Saturday night when the Tritons host Houston Christian on Homecoming. UC San Diego opened its 2025-26 season with a 32-point win over visiting La Verne Monday night. The Huskies opened their season with a home win over Southern Arkansas.
 
Prior to Saturday's tip, fans can enjoy Triton Fan Fest on adjacent RIMAC Field – free with a game ticket. UC San Diego will also unveil its 2024-25 Big West Champions banner prior to tipoff. Saturday's game is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased through Triton Box Office with a live broadcast on ESPN+ and KSDT radio.
 
DETAILS      
Game 2: UC San Diego (1-0) vs. Houston Christian (1-0)
Saturday, Nov. 8 | 7 p.m.
LionTree Arena (4,000) | La Jolla
ESPN+ | KSDT Radio | Live Stats | Tickets
Series Record: First Meeting
Last Meeting: N/A

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

TRITONS, STATISTICALLY SPEAKING (2024-25)
Stat UCSD Opp.
Points 79.3 61.8
Field Goal Pct. .464 .397
3-Point FG Pct. .362 .330
Free Throw Pct. .746 .743
Rebounds 34.0 34.4
Assists 15.7 11.2
Turnovers 8.7 15.9
Steals 9.9 4.5
Blocks 2.1 2.8

ABOUT THE HUSKIES
Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 1-0
Southland: 0-0
Home: 1-0
Away: 0-0
Neutral: 0-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: W1
 
WHAT'S NEXT
UC San Diego heads out on the road for the first time this season when the Tritons visit Fresno State on Wednesday night. Game time is scheduled for 6 p.m. from Save Mart Center in Fresno.
 
LAST TIME OUT: TRITONS 105, LA VERNE 63 Stats
Leo Beath scored a game-high 24 and five Tritons scored in double figures as UC San Diego rolled to a 105-73 victory over La Verne in the season opener Monday night inside LionTree Arena. Beath added six rebounds and three steals without committing a turnover in the win.
 
The Tritons never trailed and had their way on the glass – holding a commanding 47-25 rebounding edge over the Leopards in the win.
 
TRIPLE DIGITS
UC San Diego scored 105 points in its season-opening win over La Verne (Nov. 3). The Tritons reached the century mark three times last season.
 
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
UC San Diego has turned LionTree Arena into a true home court advantage, boasting a 28-4 record in La Jolla over the past two-plus seasons.
 
GOT THE FIRST ONE
When the Tritons beat La Verne in the season opener (Nov. 3), that marked the first victory in the head coaching career of Clint Allard '08.
 
2024-25 REWIND
UC San Diego is coming off an historic season in which the Tritons won 30 games, a Big West regular season and tournament title, and took 14th-ranked Michigan to the wire in the NCAA Tournament – all in the program's first season with Division I postseason eligibility. In fact, UC San Diego became the first program in NCAA history to send its men's and women's teams to March Madness in its first season eligible to do so.
 
AWARD-WINNERS
After posting an 18-2 conference record on the way to its first regular season men's basketball title last season, UC San Diego earned five of The Big West's seven major awards. Senior guard/forward Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones was The Big West Player of the Year, Triton head coach Eric Olen was Coach of the Year for the second straight season, senior point guard Hayden Gray captured Best Defensive player, junior Chris Howell was named the Best Hustle Player, and junior Justin Rochelin garnered the conference's Best Sixth Player award.
 
In addition, Tait-Jones and senior Tyler McGhie were named All-Big West First Team and Gray garnered All-Big West Second Team accolades. For the second season in a row, the Tritons are the only Big West program to win multiple major awards.
 
ROAD WARRIORS
The Tritons were second nationally in wins away from home (road + neutral) last season. UC San Diego was 17-3 in games outside of LionTree Arena: 12-2 on the road and 5-1 at neutral sites.
 
MARGIN OF VICTORY
UC San Diego led NCAA Division I with a turnover margin of +7.2. The Tritons won the turnover battle in 33 of their 35 games.
 
MARGIN OF VICTORY II
The Tritons were tops in The Big West with a scoring margin of 18.1. Nationally, UC San Diego's margin of victory sat second behind Duke.
 
STINGY ON D
UC San Diego led The Big West in scoring defense, allowing just 61.6 points per game. Nationally, that mark was sixth best.
 
NEW-LOOK TRITONS
UC San Diego men's basketball head coach Clint Allard has announced the addition of ten newcomers who have join the Tritons' roster for the 2025-26 season: eight transfers and two first-year scholar-athletes. Leo Beath (Lynn), Tom Beattie (Hawai'i), Alex Chaikin (Lafayette), Bol Dengdit (Portland), Tyson Dunn (Buffalo), Trap Johnson (Montana State), Emanuel Prospere II (Missouri-St. Louis), and Dimitrije Vukicevic (Washington State) transferred to UC San Diego. Hudson Mayes (Redondo Beach, Calif.) and Jaden Vance (Phoenix, Ariz.) joined the roster as freshmen.
 
CHALLENGING SLATE AWAITS
The Tritons will face a challenging slate away from home in 2025, taking part in the Terry's Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational just prior to Thanksgiving at Walt Disney World (Nov. 24-26). UC San Diego will also compete in the Jack Jones Classic in Henderson, Nev., squaring off with Tulane on Dec. 13. UC San Diego's non-conference road games include matchups with Fresno State (Nov. 12) and Nevada (Dec. 2) from the Mountain West, and LMU from the West Coast Conference (Dec. 16).
 
TRITONS IN THE PROS
Three Tritons from last year's Big West Championship team are playing professionally this year. Tyler McGhie is playing for Gipuzkoa Basket in Spain, Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones is competing with Valmiera Glass in Latvia, and Hayden Gray is playing in the NBA G League for the Maine Celtics (Boston).
 
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 24-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 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in NCAA Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons. 

 
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Players Mentioned

Hayden Gray

#3 Hayden Gray

G
6' 4"
Senior
Tyler  McGhie

#13 Tyler McGhie

G/F
6' 5"
Senior
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones

#12 Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones

G/F
6' 6"
Senior
Chris  Howell

#8 Chris Howell

G
6' 6"
Junior
Justin Rochelin

#5 Justin Rochelin

G
6' 5"
Redshirt Junior
Emanuel Prospere II

#5 Emanuel Prospere II

G/F
6' 5"
Graduate Student
Tyson Dunn

#3 Tyson Dunn

G
6' 3"
Graduate Student
Bol Dengdit

#7 Bol Dengdit

F
6' 11"
Redshirt Junior
Leo Beath

#8 Leo Beath

F
6' 8"
Redshirt Junior
Tom Beattie

#9 Tom Beattie

G
6' 5"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Hayden Gray

#3 Hayden Gray

6' 4"
Senior
G
Tyler  McGhie

#13 Tyler McGhie

6' 5"
Senior
G/F
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones

#12 Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones

6' 6"
Senior
G/F
Chris  Howell

#8 Chris Howell

6' 6"
Junior
G
Justin Rochelin

#5 Justin Rochelin

6' 5"
Redshirt Junior
G
Emanuel Prospere II

#5 Emanuel Prospere II

6' 5"
Graduate Student
G/F
Tyson Dunn

#3 Tyson Dunn

6' 3"
Graduate Student
G
Bol Dengdit

#7 Bol Dengdit

6' 11"
Redshirt Junior
F
Leo Beath

#8 Leo Beath

6' 8"
Redshirt Junior
F
Tom Beattie

#9 Tom Beattie

6' 5"
Junior
G

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