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UC San Diego

Bol Dengdit
Derrick Tuskan/UC San Diego

Men's Basketball

Tritons Visit Bakersfield on Spectrum SportsNet, 97.3 The Fan

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – UC San Diego is back on the road for a Saturday matinee at Cal State Bakersfield. The Tritons (13-5 overall, 3-3 Big West) dropped an 84-79 decision to CSUN Thursday despite five in double figures and a 22-point, 6-three point night from Alex Chaikin. UC San Diego has alternated wins and losses in Big West play, going 3-0 on Saturdays and 0-3 on Thursday nights.
 
Cal State Bakersfield (8-11, 2-5) concluded its season series against UCSB with a six-point loss to the Gauchos on Thursday. The Tritons and 'Runners have met ten times as Big West foes, with each program winning five times. UC San Diego swept both 2025 meetings. Saturday's game tips at 1 p.m. and will feature live broadcasts on Spectrum SportsNet, ESPN+ and 97.3 The Fan. A link to live stats is available on UCSDTritons.com.
 
DETAILS 
Game 19: UC San Diego (13-5, 3-3) at Cal State Bakersfield (8-11, 2-5)
Saturday, Jan. 17 | 1 p.m.
Icardo Center (3,497) | Bakersfield
ESPN+ | 97.3 The Fan | Live Stats
Series Record: Bakersfield leads, 20-6 (Tied, 5-5 in Division I)
Last Meeting: Tritons 73, Bakersfield 54 (Feb. 13, 2025)

ABOUT THE TRITONS
Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 13-5
Big West: 3-3
Home: 5-3
Away: 4-2
Neutral: 4-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: L1

ABOUT THE ROADRUNNERS
Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 8-11
Big West: 2-5
Home: 6-4
Away: 2-7
Neutral: 0-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: L2

WHAT'S NEXT
UC San Diego is back on the road Thursday night when the Tritons visit UC Davis for a 6 p.m. tip. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and 97.3 The Fan, with a link to live stats on UCSDTritons.com.
  
LAST TIME OUT: CSUN 84, TRITONS 79 Stats
Five Tritons scored in double figures led by a season-high 22 from Alex Chaikin but visiting CSUN earned an 84-79 win Thursday night in front of 3,117 at LionTree Arena. The Matadors also had five in double figures led by Mahmoud Fofana's double-double of 12 points and 17 rebounds. CSUN (11-8 overall, 4-3 Big West) held a 46-32 rebounding edge on the night.
 
The Tritons (13-5, 5-3) got six three-pointers from Chaikin, who made his first start of the season. Tom Beattie chipped in 13, Leo Beath 12, Hudson Mayes 11 points and nine rebounds, and Emanuel Prospere II added ten for UC San Diego.
 
LAST TIME VS. BAKERSFIELD: TRITONS 73, ROADRUNNERS 54 (2/13/2025) Stats
UC San Diego secured a victory over CSU Bakersfield with a final score of 73-54 at Icardo Center on Thursday. UC San Diego improved to 21-4 overall and 11-2 in The Big West. The win clinched a spot in the Big West Championship in Henderson, Nev.

The victory was the Tritons' sixth straight, the longest active streak in The Big West. UC San Diego is now 12-2 away from LionTree Arena. UC San Diego hit 16 three-pointers for the second straight game and have made 15 or more six times this season. The Tritons led by 12 points at halftime and improved to 17-0 (7-0 on the road) when leading at the break.
 
CHAIKIN IT UP
UC San Diego adjusted its starting lineup for the first time this season Thursday night when sophomore Alex Chaikin was inserted into the first five. Chaikin responded with a season high 22 points and six three-pointers in the game against CSUN (Jan. 15). Against Big West opponents, Chaikin is second in the conference, shooting 48.7% from beyond the arc.
 
BOUNCING BACK
The Tritons have not lost back-to-back Big West games since Feb. 3 and Feb. 8, 2024, when UC San Diego fell at Long Beach State and then in overtime at Hawai'i.
 
FINDING SUCCESS AT THE FREE THROW LINE
The Tritons enter Saturday as the second-leading free throw shooting team in The Big West during conference play, knocking down 78.6% of their attempts against conference foes. UC San Diego hit only 66% of its free throw tries in non-conference games.
 
ON THE REBOUND
UC San Diego handed Hawai'i its first conference loss, 83-73 (Jan. 3). The Tritons outrebounded the Rainbow Warriors, 33-29, despite UH holding a league-best +11.2 rebound margin coming in.
 
MAYES MAKES HIS MARK
Freshman Hudson Mayes matched his career high with 12 points and pulled down a personal best 12 rebounds in a career-high 27 minutes off the bench at Cal Poly (Jan. 1) – marking his first career double-double. Mayes leads the team in field goal percentage, connecting on 62.4% of his attempts.
 
LOWEST OF LOWS
UC San Diego's 67-65 loss at Cal Poly (Jan. 1) snapped a 16-game win streak against conference opponents. The Tritons scored a season low 65 points, shot under 40% for the first time in a game this season (35%), and hit just 21% of their second half field goal tries – the program's worst shooting half since opening night last season (18% first half in a five-point loss at San Diego State). The Tritons' 23 points after halftime at Cal Poly is UC San Diego's lowest scoring half this season.
 
DOUBLE TROUBLE
First-year Triton Bol Dengdit posted a double-double in back-to-back games: 10 points, 10 rebounds vs. Stanton (Dec. 28) and 12 points, 12 rebounds at Cal Poly (Jan. 1). He blocked three shots in back-to-back games (Dec. 19 vs. USD, Dec. 28 vs. Stanton).
 
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.
 
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 (Dec. 13). 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.
 
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.
 
LISTEN UP!
UC San Diego and Audacy have partnered to bring Tritons basketball to 97.3 The Fan – home of the San Diego Padres – in a multi-year deal. All remaining Big West road games this season – plus postseason games – will air live on 97.3 The Fan and stream on the Audacy app.
 
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.
 
A YEAR TO REMEMBER
Including the postseason, the Tritons were 29-5 in 2025.
 
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
UC San Diego has turned LionTree Arena into a true home court advantage, boasting a 32-7 record in La Jolla since the start of the 2023-24 campaign.
 
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
Emanuel Prospere II

#5 Emanuel Prospere II

G/F
6' 5"
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
Alex Chaikin

#10 Alex Chaikin

G
6' 5"
Sophomore
Hudson Mayes

#0 Hudson Mayes

G
6' 5"
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
Emanuel Prospere II

#5 Emanuel Prospere II

6' 5"
Graduate Student
G/F
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
Alex Chaikin

#10 Alex Chaikin

6' 5"
Sophomore
G
Hudson Mayes

#0 Hudson Mayes

6' 5"
Freshman
G

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