Men's Basketball Travels To Face Hawai'i On Saturday

Saturday, January 14

Manoa, HI

9 p.m. PT

Long Beach State University

Hawai'i

Photo by: John Fajardo

1/13/2023 9:44:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Game Notes - Hawai'i

Quick turnaround for the Beach who defeated Cal Poly at home Thursday night.

By: Roger Kirk, Associate Athletics Director, Communications & Broadcast

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Long Beach State is back on the road this weekend, heading off to Honolulu to face Hawai'i on the island for the fifth time in the last seven meetings between the programs. Tipoff is scheduled for 9 p.m. Pacific Time on Saturday, January 14 with live coverage on ESPN+.

RIGHT AWAY
• The Beach is coming off of a critical conference win, as Long Beach State played without their two leading scorers in Joel Murray and Marcus Tsohonis, but clamped down defensively against Cal Poly and controlled the contest in a 77-58 win in the Walter Pyramid on Thursday.

• Saturday's meeting features the preseason Big West favorites, Hawai'i against the defending champions from a season ago in Long Beach State. The teams split the season series a year ago, with each squad winning on the road, and the Beach has a slim 19-16 lead in the all-time series between the teams.

• Coming out of the Ivory Coast, Long Beach State's dynamic inside duo of Aboubacar Traore and Lassina Traore continue to rank 1 and 2 in the rebounding rankings of the Big West. Trading back once again, Lassina leads the league with 9.4 rebounds per game, while Aboubacar is second at 8.5. Reunited over 7,000 apart from where they met as high school teammates and friends in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, Lassina Traore joins Aboubacar Traore at the Beach where the pair have been the starting frontcourt for LBSU in every game this season.

• Lassina Traore and Aboubacar Traore have combined for 14 double-doubles so far this season, over 30% of the double-doubles of the Big West this season. Lassina recently put up three straight, capped by scoring a career-high 22 points with 13 boards on the road at UCI, the sixth player since 2018 for Long Beach State to put up 20/10 in a game. Aboubacar Traore has added six double-doubles, also ranking among the NCAA leaders this season.

• Long Beach State continues to feature a fast-paced offense, ranking 6th nationally in average tempo according to Ken Pomeroy. The Beach have also hounded teams on defense, leading the Big West in both steals and in turnover margin this season.

NEWS & NOTES
• The Beach have been very effective inside, averaging over 40 points per game in the paint and currently rank second in the nation in percentage of points from 2-pointers, working effectively in both transition and from the halfcourt in getting productive shots.

• Long Beach State opened the season with a key non-conference road win, traveling to Riverside and coming away with a 79-64 win over California Baptist. Lassina Traore debuted with a double-double, leading the way for LBSU with 13 points and 12 rebounds Jadon Jones shared in the team lead with 13 points as well, while Tone Hunter dished out six assists in his Division I debut.

• The Beach had a busy Feast Week, where the team played three games as part of Baha Mar Hoops from the Bahamas. Long Beach State claimed third place at that tournament, going 2-1 with victories over good mid-major programs in Oakland and Vermont.

• Against Life Pacific, the Beach set new highs in points (97) rebounds (61) and assists (31) in a dominant win over Life Pacific that saw both Traores finish with double-doubles and five players score in double-figures in a 97-52 victory in the first home game for Long Beach State in over three weeks.

PLAYER NOTES
• Senior Joel Murray continues to lead Long Beach State in scoring this season at 15.7 points per game while also contributing 3.8 assists per game. A first-team All-Big West selection a season ago, Murray has scored in double-figures in all but two games this season and is averaging over 17 points per game in league play, but missed Thursday's contest with a wrist injury. There is currently no timeline for his return.

• The reigning Big West Defensive Player of the Year, Jadon Jones has 20 steals and 10 blocks despite missing four games earlier this year. Leading the Beach in 3-pointers made this season, Jones is shooting 33.3 percent from three, and is averaging 8.5 points per game as an all-around threat for the Beach. With a trio of 3-pointers at California Baptist, Jones became the 18th player at LBSU to hit 100 career 3-pointers and can rapidly climb that list this season, currently tied for 13th in school history as a sophomore.

• Aboubacar Traore set the modern era record for Long Beach State with 23 rebounds in a game as a true freshman, and has started off the new season again among the rebounding leaders for the Beach and the Big West. Averaging 8.5 rebounds per game, Traore is also averaging 9.4 points per game, an increase on his output from his freshman season while recording six double-doubles, including 16 points and 16 rebounds at USC.

• Lassina Traore, a Division I transfer from Saint Louis, has picked up eight double-doubles and has started every game this season. Traore is averaging 11.1 points and 9.4 rebounds per game at the Beach, leading the league in rebounding. Traore set a career-high with 16 rebounds at Utah Valley, matching the most in the Big West this season.

• Sophomore Tone Hunter has been the primary backup for Joel Murray at the point guard position. Hunter was a prolific junior college scorer, averaging 17.8 points per game as a true freshman, and is second on the team in assists in 2022-23 at 3.1 per game while making 17 steals. Hunter is also averaging 5.6 points per game, and has scored in double-figures three times, including Thursday in his first start of the season against Cal Poly.

• Redshirt freshman AJ George has been pressed into the starting lineup due to injuries at the Beach, and has stepped up. In his first season, George is averaging 7.1 points and 2.7 rebounds per game. George has started in eight games, and is shooting a very good .632 percentage from the field on the year.

• Also on the wing, Tobias Rotegaard had his best game of the season, leading Long Beach State in scoring with 16 points off the bench at Utah Valley. Third on the team in 3-pointers made this season, Rotegaard has played in all but one game for LBSU, now in his second season at the Beach.

• In the frontcourt, a pair of junior college transfers have made an immediate impact. 6-11 Chayce Polynice is averaging 4.2 points per game after reaching double figures for the second time with 16 points against Saint Katherine. Amari Stroud has also played a big role, averaging 4.0 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. Both players are active big men who complement the up-tempo pace favored by the team.

• Marcus Tsohonis has twice led the team in scoring in a pair of 20+ point games, most recently at Baha Mar Hoops against Vermont, scoring 23 points in his return to the starting lineup after missing the opening game in the Bahamas with injury. A transfer with DI experience at VCU and Washington, Tsohonis has added veteran leadership and is second on the team in scoring, averaging 12.1 points per game but has been out since being injured on December 31 against UC Riverside.

• Among the reserves, Jeffrey Yan has played in 43 games over five years at the Beach, bringing a veteran presence to Long Beach State's forward depth. Son of head coach Dan Monson, Maddox Monson has also featured this season in a depth role, while Jason Hart Jr., Matt Fegurgur and Shaumba Ngoyi are slated to redshirt this season.