College Sports |. UC San Diego is expected to return; USD is gearing up for a showdown with Washington State
The last time the UC San Diego Tritons lost, it began an incredible 12-game winning streak under coach Eric Olen. On Thursday, the Tritons (14-3, 4-1 Big West) will face Nagahama State (7-10, 3-2 Big West) looking to bounce back from a loss in their last game at UC Irvine. The Anteaters earned a 60-52 victory at Lion Tree Arena in a nationally televised game, taking their strong 5-0 record atop the Big West Conference and a current record of 15-2 in overall.
This latest loss was the Tritons’ first since losing at home to Seattle University on Nov. 16, but their morale remains high and they are in 10th place in the latest Mid-Major Top 25 Poll. UC Irvine was third. They are determined to make the most of their next opportunity, which includes a rematch with the Anteaters on February 8.
However, the Tritons struggled to score in the game against Irvine, making just 6-of-35 on 3-pointers and finishing with a season-low 52 points. Coach Oren acknowledged the need for improvement, saying, “The regular season in the Big West, and any conference, it’s hard for us to improve on what we haven’t done. I’m confident that if we play our best basketball, the results follow.
Back in Long Beach, it was a torrid season under the guidance of rookie coach Chris Aker. After the opening win against Division III La Verne, Beach went on a shocking eight-game losing streak, but has since reeled off five straight wins, most recently an 84-73 victory over UC Davis. Guard Devin Askew had a great performance with a career high 32 points.
Next game: Thursday at Long Beach State University at 7 p.m. Streaming: ESPN+.
Meanwhile, at the University of San Diego, the Toreros (4-14, 1-4 WCC) are looking for answers after a four-game losing streak and a 103-56 loss to the conference-leading Saint Mary’s Gaels. Despite the struggles, sophomore guard Joey Chamma scored a career-best 14 points against the Gaels, but rookie guard Tony Duckett had his fourth straight double-digit scoring game.
Looking ahead, the Toreros will host Washington State (13-5, 3-2 WCC) on Thursday night. Washington State is also looking to bounce back from its recent two-game losing streak.
Next game: Thursday against Washington State at 7 p.m. Streaming: ESPN+.
In the Pac West, Point Loma Nazarene (14-4, 7-1) enters the game against Biola (11-5, 5-3) riding a four-game winning streak. The Sea Lions defeated the Viola, 82-67 on December 11 last year. In particular, senior forward Luke Haupt (St. Augustine High School) was featured on the Bevo Francis Top 100 Watch List for small college basketball. After missing last year with a knee injury, Haupt returned and started all 18 games, averaging 13 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists, as well as a team-leading 31 steals.
Next game: Thursday, 7:30 p.m., at Viola. Stream: team1sports.com/biola/.
Finally, the San Diego Clippers of the G League (5-3) won after a 116-113 overtime victory over Oklahoma City on Tuesday. They will travel to Washington, DC, to take on the Capital City GoGo (4-3) on Thursday. Forward Trentin Flowers scored a career-high 32 points in the last win, and the Clippers averaged 117.9 points in the G League.