UC San Diego vs. Cal State Bakersfield
When: 7 p.m. Thursday
Where: LionTree Arena
Streaming: ESPN+
Records: UC San Diego is 19-9 overall and 9-7 in the Big West Conference; Cal State Bakersfield is 8-20, 2-14
Series record: UCSD leads the all-time series 6-5 as a Division I program.
Tritons update: Forward Leo Beath had 20 points and nine rebounds Jan. 17 as he led four Tritons in double figures as UCSD won the first meeting 83-62 in Bakersfield. UCSD has won three straight games and four of its last five games. The Tritons are only 8-5 on their home floor this season. Freshman Hudson Mayes has led the Tritons’ late-season surge, averaging 19.7 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists over the last three games. Bol Dengdit has averaged 14.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists in the three straight wins. Beath continues to lead UCSD in scoring with an average of 12.5 points a game, but hasn’t scored in double figures in the past five games and six of the last seven.
Roadrunners update: Cal State Bakersfield has lost 11 straight games. DaiLin Smith leads the Roadrunners in scoring with an average of 16.2 points a game, but is shooting 34% from the floor and 26.7% on 3-pointers. CJ Hardy is averaging 13.3 points and 4.2 rebounds a game. Ronald Jessamy is averaging 11.5 points and a team-leading 6.1 rebounds a game.
Next up: vs. Cal Poly, 7 p.m. Saturday
— BILL CENTER