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UC San Diego

Bol Dengdit
Derrick Tuskan/UC San Diego

Men's Basketball

Tritons Host First-Place Hawai‘i in First Big West Home Game

UC San Diego is the only Big West team yet to play a conference home contest

LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego looks to get back on track Saturday night against first-place Hawai'i at LionTree Arena. The Tritons (11-3, 1-1 Big West) shot a season-low 35% – including just 21% after halftime – in a 67-65 loss Thursday at Cal Poly. The Rainbow Warriors (11-2, 3-0) are the hottest team in The Big West, winners of seven straight. UH is coming off its biggest-ever margin of victory – 43 points – Thursday night at UC Riverside. The Tritons are 3-7 all-time against Hawai'i but swept both meetings between these programs last season.
 
UC San Diego is the only Big West team yet to play a conference home game. Saturday's tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. from La Jolla and tickets can be purchased through the Triton Box Office. The game will feature live broadcasts on ESPN+ and KSDT. A link to live stats is available on UCSDTritons.com.
 
DETAILS
Game 15: UC San Diego (11-3, 1-1) vs. Hawai'i (11-2, 3-0)
Saturday, Jan. 3 | 7 p.m.
LionTree Arena (4,000) | La Jolla
ESPN+ | KSDT | Live Stats
Series Record: Hawai'i leads, 7-3 (UH 5-3 in Division I)
Last Meeting: Tritons 83, Hawai'i 44 (Feb. 22, 2025)
 
ABOUT THE TRITONS
Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 11-3
Big West: 1-1
Home: 4-1
Away: 3-2
Neutral: 4-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: L1

TRITONS, STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
Stat UCSD Opp.
Points 81.5 70.3
Field Goal Pct. .484 .417
3-Point FG Pct. .368 .329
Free Throw Pct. .678 .689
Rebounds 37.5 35.0
Assists 15.9 12.5
Turnovers 10.4 12.3
Steals 8.0 5.7
Blocks 2.2 3.1

ABOUT THE RAINBOW WARRIORS
Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 11-2
Big West: 3-0
Home: 10-1
Away: 1-1
Neutral: 0-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: W7

WHAT'S NEXT
UC San Diego welcomes Cal State Fullerton to La Jolla on Thursday. Action tips at 7 p.m. from LionTree Arena, with tickets available through the Triton Box Office. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and KSDT, with a link to live stats on UCSDTritons.com.
  
LAST TIME OUT: TRITONS 65, CAL POLY 67 Stats
UC San Diego narrowly fell to Cal Poly 67-65 at Mott Athletics Center on Thursday. UC San Diego led by three points at halftime but was unable to hold on as the Mustangs took their first lead of the second half with 18 seconds to play The Tritons' bench contributed 34 points though it wasn't enough.
 
Freshman Hudson Mayes recorded a double-double with 12 points and a career-high 12 rebounds, effectively controlling the boards. Bol Dengdit also posted a double-double, contributing 12 points and 12 rebounds, adding two assists. Alex Chaikin led the scoring effort with a season-high 17 points, including five 3-pointers. Tom Beattie collected three steals.
 
LAST TIME VS. HAWAI'I: TRITONS 83, RAINBOW WARRIORS 44 (Feb. 22, 2025) Stats
UC San Diego used a suffocating defense and three Tritons scored in double figures as the Tritons rolled to an 83-44 win over Hawai'i in front of 3,084 inside LionTree Arena. The 39-point win was the Tritons' ninth straight, tying the largest margin of victory for the program in a Big West game. UC San Diego improved to 24-4 on the season (14-2 Big West), maintaining the program's one-game lead in The Big West standings.  
 
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones scored 19 on 8-of-11 shooting, Tyler McGhie hit three three-pointers and scored 17, and Nordin Kapic added three triples and 13 points in the win. 
 
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.
 
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 69.1% of his attempts.
 
DOUBLE TROUBLE
First-year Triton Bol Dengdit has 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).
 
BOL WITH THE BLOCKS
Bol Dengdit 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 31-5 record in La Jolla over the past two-plus seasons.
 
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
Nordin Kapic

#24 Nordin Kapic

F
6' 8"
Junior
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
Nordin Kapic

#24 Nordin Kapic

6' 8"
Junior
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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