LA JOLLA, Calif. – Winners of three straight and four of its last five, UC San Diego returns to LionTree Arena for its final two home games of the season this week. The Tritons (19-9 overall 9-7 Big West) look to keep rolling when they host Cal State Bakersfield (8-20, 2-14) for a 7 p.m. tip. On Saturday, UC San Diego had four in double figures in a win at first-place UC Irvine – the Tritons' third win at UCI in the last four.
Last month, UC San Diego got 20 points and nine boards from
Leo Beath and used a stingy defense to down the Roadrunners by 21 points in Bakersfield. Tickets to Thursday's game can be purchased through the
Triton Box Office. The game can be seen on ESPN+ and heard on KSDT radio, with a link to live stats on UCSDTritons.com.
DETAILS
| Game 29: UC San Diego (19-9, 9-7) vs. Cal State Bakersfield (8-20, 2-14) |
| Thursday, Feb. 26 | 7 p.m. |
| LionTree Arena (4,000) | La Jolla |
| ESPN+ | KSDT Radio | Live Stats |
| Series Record: UC San Diego leads 6-5 in Division I |
| Last Meeting: Tritons 83, 'Runners 62 (Jan. 17) |
ABOUT THE TRITONS
Roster |
Schedule |
Stats
Overall: 19-9
Big West: 9-7
Home: 8-5
Away: 7-4
Neutral: 4-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: W3
ABOUT THE ROADRUNNERS
Roster |
Schedule |
Stats
Overall: 8-20
Big West: 2-14
Home: 6-9
Away: 2-11
Neutral: 0-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: L11
WHAT'S NEXT
UC San Diego welcomes Cal Poly on Saturday at 7 p.m. for the Triton's final home game. It's Senior Night, and
Emanuel Prospere II will be recognized before the game. Tickets can be purchased through the
Triton Box Office. The game will air live on ESPN+ and KSDT radio, with a link to live stats on UCSDTritons.com.
LAST TIME OUT: TRITONS 71, UC IRVINE 69 Stats
UC San Diego freshman
Hudson Mayes scored a critical basket with 13 seconds to play, propelling the Tritons to a 71-69 win at first-place UC Irvine Saturday night inside the Bren Events Center. Mayes, the reigning Big West Player of the Week, finished with 17 points and eight rebounds in the win. UC San Diego (19-9 overall, 9-7 Big West) has clinched a spot in the Big West Championship next month in Henderson, Nevada.
The Tritons have won 11 games away from home, and Saturday's victory was No. 100 for UC San Diego as a Division I program. Sophomore
Alex Chaikin added 15 for the Tritons thanks to three three-pointers, with Junior
Tom Beattie adding 11 and freshman
Jaden Vance scoring ten with five rebounds and two critical blocked shots.
Jurian Dixon scored 22 for the Anteaters (18-10, 11-5). UCI is now in a three-way tie for first, alongside Hawai'i and CSUN with four games remaining.
LAST TIME VS. BAKERSFIELD: TRITONS 83, 'RUNNERS 62 (Jan. 17) Stats
UC San Diego junior
Leo Beath posted a 20-point, nine-rebound performance as the Tritons rolled to an 83-62 win over Cal State Bakersfield inside the Icardo Center. Beath was one of three in double figures for the Tritons, who improved to 14-5 overall, 4-3 Big West.
Alex Chaikin added 14 and
Bol Dengdit poured in 12 in the win.
Tom Beattie contributed eight points, seven rebounds, four assists and a personal best four steals.
The Tritons used a suffocating defense to limit the Roadrunners to just 32% shooting – the lowest by a UC San Diego opponent this season. The Tritons matched a season best with 13 steals.
Cal State Bakersfield fell to 8-12 overall (2-6 Big West) with the home setback.
CENTURY MARK
With the win at UC Irvine on Feb. 21 – the Tritons' third in the last four meetings at UCI – UC San Diego earned its 100th victory as a Division I program.
20x3
A win over Cal State Bakersfield Thursday night would give the Tritons their third consecutive 20-win season. UC San Diego matched a program record last season with 30 victories, while notching 21 wins in 2023-24.
MAYES MAKES BIG MOVES
UC San Diego freshman guard
Hudson Mayes was named Big West Player of the Week on Feb. 16. The honor is a first for Mayes, and the third such recognition for a Triton this season.
Mayes averaged 21 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in a pair of Big West wins. He scored 18 points and pulled down 12 rebounds in a win over UC Davis – his team-leading fourth double-double of the season – then followed that up with a career-high 24-point effort in a victory over UC Riverside. Mayes shot 61.9% (13-21) from the field and hit 15 of his 16 free throw attempts. For the season, he's second in The Big West from the free throw line in conference play, hitting 89.8% of his attempts.
STINGY ON DEFENSE
UC San Diego allowed a season-low 51 points in a home win over UC Davis (Feb. 12). That was the fourth time this season a Big West opponent has scored 62 or fewer points.
BACK ON TRACK
UC San Diego's win over Long Beach (Feb. 5) snapped a three-game losing streak – the Tritons' longest in Big West action since Feb. 2-15, 2023 (four straight).
Bol Dengdit had a career-high seven offensive rebounds – six more than the entire Beach roster – in the win. The victory was UC San Diego's first this season when its opponent posted a higher field goal percentage.
CALLING HIS NUMBER
Triton freshman
Jaden Vance had a career night in the win over Long Beach (Feb. 5). The Phoenix native scored 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting – all three numbers are personal bests – over a career-high 20 minutes played.
THE COMFORTS OF HOME
UC San Diego plays five of its seven games in February inside LionTree Arena. The only road tests took place against the top two teams in the standings: Feb. 7 at Hawai'i and last Saturday at UC Irvine.
WHAT'S CHAIKIN?
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 is second in The Big West, shooting 44.6% from beyond the arc. His 2.6 threes per game ranks third.
MEECH'S NEW MARK
Freshman
Dimitrije Vukicevic established a new career-high with 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting over 12 minutes in the Tritons' home win over UC Riverside (Feb. 14). He was one of three Tritons to score in double figures in that victory.
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.
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.
