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UC San Diego

Tom Beattie
Jae Choi/UC San Diego

Men's Basketball

Tritons Return Home to Host Toreros

UC San Diego plays its first home game since Nov. 15

LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego returns to LionTree Arena Friday night after completing a 34-day road trip when the Tritons host USD to conclude WCC Week – facing a pair of future conference opponents. Last time out, UC San Diego (10-1 overall) had a rough shooting night but performed well in the paint and on the glass in a 10-point win at LMU. The Toreros head to La Jolla with a 4-6 overall mark after earning a win over Northern Arizona on Saturday.
 
Friday marks the conclusion of the current four-game series between these programs, with UC San Diego victorious in the last two. The teams will meet twice yearly when the Tritons join the West Coast Conference beginning in 2027-28. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. from LionTree Arena. Tickets can be purchased through the Triton Box Office. The game will air on ESPN+ and KSDT Radio, with a link to live stats on UCSDTritons.com.
 
DETAILS     
Game 12: UC San Diego (10-1) vs. San Diego (4-6)
Friday, Dec. 19
LionTree Arena (4,000) | La Jolla
ESPN+ | KSDT Radio | Live Stats
Series Record: USD leads, 17-3 (Tritons, 2-1 in Division I)
Last Meeting: Tritons 77, USD 71 (Dec. 21, 2024)

ABOUT THE TRITONS
Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 10-1
Big West: 1-0
Home: 3-0
Away: 3-1
Neutral: 4-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: W3

TRITONS, STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
Stat UCSD Opp.
Points 82.8 70.3
Field Goal Pct. .500 .420
3-Point FG Pct. .391 .326
Free Throw Pct. .668 .661
Rebounds 37.3 34.4
Assists 16.0 12.4
Turnovers 10.6 12.3
Steals 7.8 5.4
Blocks 1.9 3.2

ABOUT THE TOREROS
Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 4-6
West Coast: 0-0
Home: 4-3
Away: 0-2
Neutral: 0-1
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: W1

WHAT'S NEXT
UC San Diego returns to action on Sunday, Dec. 28 to close out 2025 against Stanton. Tip-off is slated for 4 p.m. from LionTree Arena. Tickets can be purchased through the Triton Box Office, and Sunday's game can be seen on ESPN+, heard on KSDT radio, with a link to live stats found on UCSDTritons.com.
  
LAST TIME OUT: TRITONS 67, LMU 57 Stats
Junior Leo Beath led four Tritons in double figures with 15 points as the Tritons outlasted LMU, 67-57, Tuesday night in Gersten Pavilion. UC San Diego overcame a sluggish start on the way to its third consecutive win, improving to 10-1 on the season.
 
Tom Beattie added 12 points and six rebounds, freshman Hudson Mayes scored 11 with five rebounds, and Emanuel Prospere II added 10 points, four rebounds, and four assists in the win. Aidan Burke pulled down nine rebounds and Bol Dengdit added eight; the Tritons held a commanding 43-30 advantage on the glass.
 
LAST TIME VS. THE TOREROS: TRITONS 77, USD 71 Stats
Tyler McGhie matched his season-high with 27 points on a career-high seven three-pointers, and Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones scored 17 points and dished out six assists as the Tritons won their ninth game in a row, 77-71, over USD at Jenny Craig Pavilion. Hayden Gray added 11 points and a career-high seven steals for the Tritons, who improved to 11-2 with the win. The victory was UC San Diego's third true road win in the last week.
 
Led by Gray, UC San Diego came away with a season-high 20 steals in the win. The Tritons scored 31 points off 23 USD turnovers.
 
A PROSPERE-OUS NIGHT
First year Triton Emanuel Prospere II paced UC San Diego in a 26-point victory over Tulane in the Jack Jones Classic Saturday night. He scored 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting in the win. Prospere's 20 points, eight rebounds, and four steals were all a season high. 
 
KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY
With a 26-point victory over Tulane in the Jack Jones Classic (Dec. 13), UC San Diego has won all three games it's played three games at Lee's Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada. The Tritons also downed UC Santa Barbara in the 2025 Big West semifinal and UC Irvine in the 2025 Big West Championship. The conference's postseason tournament will be held at that venue again in 2026.
 
ROAD WARRIORS
The Tritons are tied for first nationally in wins away from home (road + neutral) with seven (Yale, South Alabama). 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, good for second best nationally.
 
THE LONG ROAD
UC San Diego wrapped up a 34-day stretch between home games – the longest such stretch for the Tritons in their Division I or II era (2000-present). This year's squad traveled 6,042 miles between their Nov. 15 home game vs. Idaho and Dec. 19 home game vs. USD. The last time UC San Diego was away from La Jolla for more than 30 days was a 31-day stint in 2007-08.
 
MICKEY'S MOST VALUABLE
First year Triton Leo Beath was named Most Valuable Player at the Terry's Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational, leading UC San Diego to three wins in three days at Walt Disney World (Nov. 24-26). Beath averaged 23.7 points per game, shooting 61.9% over three games. He drained 9-of-13 three-point attempts (69.2%) and averaged four rebounds and 1.7 steals per game in the victories over Temple, Bradley, and Towson.
 
RACKING UP THE AWARDS
After being named tournament MVP at the Terry's Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational, Leo Beath piled up the awards. The following week, he was selected Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week by the USBWA, named the Lou Henson Award-winner as mid-major's top performer, voted Big West Player of the Week, and garnered UCU Athlete of the Week honors on campus. The Big West honor was Beath's second of the season (also Nov. 17). Beath was named to the Lou Henson Award watch list on Dec. 18.
 
DRAINING 'EM FROM DISTANCE
UC San Diego tied an NCAA Division I single game record when nine Tritons sank three-pointers in a win over Towson at Walt Disney World (Nov. 26). Over the three-day tournament, UC San Diego shot 51.9% from beyond the arc – hitting 40 of 77 attempts. The Tritons lead The Big West in three-point field goal percentage (39.1%).
 
A YEAR TO REMEMBER
Including the postseason, the Tritons are 28-4 in 2025.
 
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 30-4 record in La Jolla over the past two-plus seasons.
 
FIRST OF MANY
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.
 
NEW-LOOK TRITONS
Head coach Clint Allard added ten newcomers to 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.
 
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
Aidan Burke

#20 Aidan Burke

G
6' 3"
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
Dimitrije Vukicevic

#33 Dimitrije Vukicevic

C
7' 0"
Redshirt Freshman

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
Aidan Burke

#20 Aidan Burke

6' 3"
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
Dimitrije Vukicevic

#33 Dimitrije Vukicevic

7' 0"
Redshirt Freshman
C

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