ABOUT THE MATADORS
Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 12-10
Big West: 5-5
Home: 9-1
Away: 3-7
Neutral: 0-2
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: W1

WHAT'S NEXT
UC San Diego returns to La Jolla to host Long Beach State on Thursday at 7 p.m. Tickets are available through the Triton Box Office. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and KSDT, with live stats on UCSDTritons.com.
  
LAST TIME OUT: UC SANTA BARBARA 62, TRITONS 48 Stats
UC San Diego junior Bol Dengdit scored a game-high 15 points and pulled down six rebounds, but visiting UC Santa Barbara downed the Tritons, 62-48, Thursday before a Spirit Night crowd of 3,704 at LionTree Arena. Junior Tom Beattie scored 10 points and had three steals for UC San Diego (15-7 overall, 5-5 Big West).
 
Despite being held 20 points below its per-game average against Big West opponents, UC Santa Barbara won its fifth straight conference game, improving to 14-7 overall and 7-3 at the conference's midway point.
 
LAST TIME VS. CSUN: MATADORS 84, TRITONS 79 (Jan. 15) Stats
Five Tritons scored in double figures led by a season-high 22 from Alex Chaikin but visiting CSUN earned an 84-79 win 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 held a 46-32 rebounding edge on the night.
 
The Tritons 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.
 
CHAIKIN IT UP
UC San Diego adjusted its starting lineup for the first time this season when sophomore Alex Chaikin was inserted into the first five vs. CSUN (Jan. 15). Chaikin responded with a season high 22 points and six three-pointers in the game. Against Big West opponents, Chaikin leads The Big West, shooting 49.2% from beyond the arc. His 3.1 threes per game ranks third.
 
MAYES MAKES HIS MARK
Freshman Hudson Mayes matched set a new career high with 19 points, pulling down a personal best 12 rebounds in a career-high 29 minutes off the bench at UC Davis (Jan. 22) – marking his second career double-double. Mayes leads the team in field goal percentage, connecting on 57.9% of his attempts. In Big West play, Mayes is tops in the conference from the free throw line, hitting 89.2% of his shots (33-37). Mayes made his first career start vs. UCSB (Jan. 29).
 
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.
 
BOUNCING BACK
With the setback to UC Santa Barbara (Jan. 29), the Tritons dropped back-to-back games for the first time since Feb. 3 and Feb. 8, 2024, when UC San Diego fell at Long Beach State and then in overtime at Hawai'i.
 
PACKING 'EM IN
UC San Diego played in front of a sellout crowd vs. UC Irvine on Jan. 24. The Tritons are second in The Big West in home attendance during conference play, averaging 2,953 per home game.
 
A NEW FLOOR
UC San Diego scored a season-low 48 points in a loss to UC Santa Barbara (Jan. 29). The Tritons' 22 first half points vs. the Gauchos 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.
 
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.
 
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.