Beach Returns To Walter Pyramid To Host UC San Diego

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Long Beach State returns to the Walter Pyramid, and will host new conference members UC San Diego for the first time in Long Beach at 7 p.m. on Thursday, with live coverage of the game on ESPN+. UCSD is in the midst of transitioning to Division I, and while they are playing a full conference slate, the games against the Tritons do not count towards the standings.

Game:.......................... Long Beach State vs. UC San Diego
Date:........................................ Thursday, February 24, 2022
Time:............................................................................ 7 p.m.
Location:.................................................. Long Beach, Calif.
Arena:............................................... Walter Pyramid (4,200)
TV:.............................................................................. ESPN+
TV Talent:................................ Jason Schwartz, Dave Miller
Webcast:.................................................................... ESPN+
Radio:............................................................. 22 West Radio
Live Stats:.............................................. beachlivestats.com

RIGHT AWAY
• Colin Slater and Joel Murray both scored 20 points as Long Beach State won the first ever meeting between the teams on January 20, winning 87-69 in the RIMAC Arena.

• Saturday's loss at UC Santa Barbara snapped the LBSU winning streak at 11 games, the longest winning streak since the 2011-12 season, when the Beach won 12 straight games. Only Gonzaga, Murray State and South Dakota State had longer winning streaks going into Saturday.

• The Beach leads the conference in scoring at 71.1 points per game, and playing exciting, fast-paced basketball, ranking in the Top 25 in the nation in average tempo per Ken Pomeroy.

• Long Beach State is now 13-0 this season when holding their opponents under 70 points, and averaged 72.9 points per game during the 11-game winning streak. Most importantly over that stretch, the team is held opponents to 25.6 percent shooting from three and forced an average of over 15 turnovers while holding foes to 62.7 points per game.

• It's been a block party as Long Beach State now leads the Big West in blocked shots, averaging 3.8 per game, led by a pair of freshmen as Aboubacar Traore has 39 on the year while Jadon Jones has made 24. Traore now ranks in the Top 10 in single season blocks as a true freshman.

COVID-19 NEWS AND NOTES
• If you are coming to the Walter Pyramid this season, please allow for extra time to enter the venue due to COVID-19 protocols as well as parking. Parking payment can be done in two ways, either at the parking machines on site or via the Parkmobile App. Masks are required inside the building, and either proof of vaccination or a negative test is required for all entry.

• After 23 days off, Long Beach State finally returned to action on January 5, hosting Westcliff in the Walter Pyramid for a 90-64 victory. Colin Slater led the Beach with 23 points in the win. The stretch without games was longer than even the longest stretch for the team in 2020-21, as LBSU had six consecutive games canceled due to COVID-19 protocols.

PLAYER NOTES
• Joel Murray has transitioned seamlessly to the Division I game, currently leading the team in scoring at 15.6 points per game. Murray ranks fourth in the Big West in scoring, and was the Big West Player of the Week for Jan. 24, the first LBSU player to win the honor since Deishuan Booker in the 2018-19 season. A strong defender as well, Murray was a two-time All-American at West Texas A&M, where he guided the team to the Division II NCAA Championship Game last season as the team's point guard.

• Colin Slater is having a tremendous final season. Now in his sixth year of college basketball, Slater is averaging 14.3 points per game this season, second on the team. Slater scored a career-high 28 points at USCB, and has now scored 20 or more points seven times this season. He is the active D1 leader in points scored on the team, with nearly 1,000 career points combined with his time at Tulane, and is leading the team in 3-pointers made on the year while shooting 40.8 percent from distance.

• Jordan Roberts has been a consistent presence in the Long Beach State lineup over the last five seasons. Since 2017-18, Roberts has played in 131 games for Long Beach State, now just one game away from sharing the record with Mason Riggins and Mike Caffey. He is also Long Beach State's active career leader in every category other than 3-pointers made, and is averaging 8.1 points and 4.7 rebounds per game this season, second most on the team.

• A defensive stalwart, Drew Cobb started the first seven games this season for the Beach and is averaging 4.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game while traditionally guarding the opposing team's top perimeter player. Cobb returned to action against CSU Bakersfield and had a typically solid performance with four points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals and no turnovers in 22 minutes.

• Those three players that chose to come back for an additional season, Drew Cobb, Colin Slater and Jordan Roberts are serving as the team's captains this season.

• Freshman Jadon Jones is a local product made good, in his second season at the Beach coming out of St. Anthony High School in Long Beach. Now having started 21 games in a row, Jones is averaging 10.0 points per game while sitting second on the team with 46 3-pointers made on 37.1% shooting. Jones set a career-high in scoring in the rematch against No. 5 UCLA, scoring 27 points to lead the Beach, and earned All-Big West Tournament honors a year ago in a breakout performance.

• True freshman Aboubacar Traore set a modern-era record in rebounding for LBSU in the team's game at UC Riverside, grabbing 23 boards in the win. It was the third-most rebounds in a game in school history, and the most since 1961. In the process, Traore is one of just four players in the country this season to record multiple games of 20 rebounds, joining elite company in Oscar Tshiebwe of Kentucky, Fardews Aimaq of Utah Valley, and Armando Bacot of North Carolina. The 23 rebounds was also the third most in a game nationally this season.

• Traore has made an immediate impact with the Beach. A true freshman, Traore is averaging 8.1 points and leading the team and the Big West at 8.2 rebounds per game while making a team-high 39 blocks. He recently set a career-best with 19 points against UC Irvine, and has recorded six double-doubles this season, most recently with 14 points and 10 rebounds at UC Santa Barbara.

• Romelle Mansel continues to play a key role for Long Beach State. Now having started 32 games in his career, Mansel is averaging 2.8 rebounds per game and is in his third year at the Beach. After missing one game, Mansel returned with a strong game at #16 USC, scoring 10 points off the bench with seven rebounds.

• Tobias Rotegaard has played in 23 games this season for Long Beach State as a redshirt freshman from UAB. Rotegaard set a career-high with 10 points at UC Davis and is now fourth on the team in 3-pointers made this season. RJ Rhoden is another redshirt freshman who is receiving increased minutes in the latter stages of Big West action.

• Other available players for the Beach include Eddie Scott, a graduate transfer from Penn, true freshman point guard AJ Neal in his first season with the program and veteran big man Jeffrey Yan who is in his fourth year at the Beach.

• Joe Hampton recorded his first career double-double against Wright State, and averaged 9.1 points per game while averaging 3.2 boards in his second season at the Beach. A starter throughout last season, Hampton was a Big West Sixth Man of the Year candidate while serving as a high-profile player due to his association with Netflix's Last Chance U: Basketball showcasing his time at East LA College. The senior broke his wrist at Hawai'i, however, and will miss the rest of the season.

Calendar

Players Mentioned

Drew Cobb

Joe Hampton

Jadon Jones

Romelle Mansel

Joel Murray

AJ Neal

RJ Rhoden

Jordan Roberts

Tobias Rotegaard

Eddie Scott

Colin Slater

Aboubacar Traore

Jeffrey Yan

Long Beach State University Athletics