Men's Basketball Returns To Walter Pyramid To Host UC Riverside

Saturday, January 6

Long Beach, Calif.

4 p.m.

Long Beach State University

UC Riverside

Photo by: John Fajardo

Men's Basketball Returns To Walter Pyramid To Host UC Riverside

1/5/2024 1:36:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Game Notes - UC Riverside

The Beach will look to keep pace with the league leaders against the Highlanders.

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

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- After a road win Thursday at Cal Poly, Long Beach State returns to the Walter Pyramid to host UC Riverside on Saturday, January 6. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m., with live coverage on ESPN+.

Game:............................ Long Beach State vs. UC Riverside
Date:............................................ Saturday, January 6, 2024
Time:............................................................................ 4 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
• Long Beach State's 89-82 win over the Mustangs was the sixth true road win of the season for the Beach, moving the Beach back up into a five-way tie for the most road wins in all of Division I entering Friday. The Ivory Coast tandem of Aboubacar Traore and Lassina Traore dominated again on the way to Thursday's win. Aboubacar finished with a career-high 30 points on 14 of 17 shooting, while Lassina recorded his eighth double-double of the year with 20 points and 19 rebounds.

• Aboubacar's big night continued a massive start to Big West play for the junior. Traore now ranks in the conference's Top 5 in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and blocks in league play.

• The Beach closed the non-conference schedule with a record of 8-4. That was the best winning percentage for the Beach since a 7-4 record in the 2006-07 NCAA tournament season, and the most wins since an 8-3 non-conference in 1999-2000.

• Long Beach State stole the national spotlight with a 84-79 OT win on the road at USC. Senior Marcus Tsohonis led the team with 28 points while Jadon Jones added 18 in the win over the Trojans, the first since 2013 for LBSU and the first since 1987 in Los Angeles.

• Tsohonis has brought his best against the best, scoring 35 points in a win at Michigan and 28 in win at USC. The senior passed 1,000 career points scored across stretches at Washington, VCU and Long Beach State and has twice scored 30 or more in two seasons at LBSU. The team's leading scorer at 17.7 points per game, Tsohonis set a program record with 46 points in a triple overtime win at UCSD last season.

• Long Beach State is now 8-1 when scoring 80 or more points this season, and are averaging exactly just over that total this season at 80.6 points per game as a team behind four players averaging double figures in Tsohonis, Jadon Jones, Lassina Traore and Aboubacar Traore.

NEWS & NOTES
• The Beach went 4-4 in the team's eight-game road swing to start the year, picking up wins over DePaul, Iona, Montana State and a signature 94-86 win on the road at Michigan. Marcus Tsohonis had a game-high 35 points while Lassina Traore finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds to key the win over the Wolverines. The win was the sixth victory over Big Ten competition in program history, and the first coming in a true road game as Long Beach State rallied to defeat Michigan.

• The Beach returns all five starters from a season ago and returns nine letterwinners. That returning core leaves Long Beach State as one of the favorites in the conference starting the year, picked second in the Preseason Big West Coaches Poll. The Beach has also been receiving votes in the Mid-Major Top 25 throughout the season.

• In total, Long Beach State returns over 75 percent of their scoring and rebounding and over 90 percent of their blocked shots from a season ago, one of just a handful of about 15 programs to return over 75% of a teams scoring in the NCAA. The Beach has relied on that group this season, ranking 7th nationally in minutes continuity this season.

• Long Beach State legend Larry Anderson has joined the coaching staff as the team's third assistant. One of the "Fab Four" for the Beach that started for four straight years leading to the 2011-12 NCAA Tournament appearance, Anderson is the program's steals record holder and ranks in the Top 10 in career scoring, rebounding and assists at LBSU as one of the best all-around players to ever put on the uniform at Long Beach State.

• Long Beach State plays a fast, exciting brand of basketball showcased by the team's tempo, which is one of the quickest in the nation, currently 14th in the country as ranked by Ken Pomeroy.

PLAYER NOTES
• Coming out of the Ivory Coast, Long Beach State's dynamic inside duo of Aboubacar Traore and Lassina Traore ranked 1 and 2 in the rebounding for the Big West in 22-23. Reunited over 7,000 miles apart from where they met as youth national teammates and friends in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, the duo have served as the starting frontcourt in the majority of games they have played together at LBSU. Both were named to the Big West Preseason All-Conference team entering the year. The duo currently rank first and fourth in the Big West in rebounding in 2022-23.

• Long Beach State has had three 20/20 games over the last 40 years, with both Lassina and Aboubacar each garnering the achievement along with Michael Zeno in 1983. Aboubacar's came this season with a 23 point, 22 rebound, 6 assist night in a win on the road at Cal State Fullerton, while Lassina had 22 points and 20 rebounds against UC Davis last March.

• Lassina Traore was selected as First Team All-Big West and was chosen the Big West Newcomer of the Year after a dominant first season at the Beach. Traore also earned NABC All-District honors, finishing the season with 17 double-doubles which ranked 9th in the nation. Traore is one of just 10 returning players in the NCAA to average a double-double a season ago, and is averaging 12.7 points and 10.5 rebounds this season with 8 double-doubles on the year, ranking in the Top 10 in the country.

• As a junior, Aboubacar Traore continues to fill the stat sheet in his third season at Long Beach State. Traore, who set the modern-era record at LBSU with 23 rebounds in a game in 2021-22, and is averaging a new high of 12.5 points per game as a junior while bringing in 7.7 rebounds per game and leading the team in assists, steals and blocks. His 22 rebounds against Cal State Fullerton are the most in a single game this season in the country.

• Aboubacar Troare became the 19th player in program history to record 500 career rebounds just under two seasons, and currently ranks 7th at the Beach with 665 career rebounds. He also ranks 6th in career blocked shots, and is rounding into a nightly triple-double threat. Traore has the chance to join a legendary trio of players at the Beach who have scored 1,000 points, grabbed 500 rebounds and made 300 assists in their career.

• The 2021-22 Big West Defensive Player of the Year, Jadon Jones has 27 steals and 10 blocks as a strong defensive presence while continuing to be a major threat from three. Averaging 12.6 points per game, Jones currently ranks 6th in program history with 171 made 3-pointers in his career.

• The duo of Aboubacar Traore and Jadon Jones are looking to join a club of one; LBSU career blocks leader Antrone Lee as the other two players to record 100 steals and 75 blocks during their time at the Beach highlighting the defensive standouts. The pair rank 1 and 2 in steals per game in the Big West this season.

• The Beach has four players who are on pace to reach the 1,000 career point milestone, a club with just 24 members at Long Beach State. Junior Jadon Jones is the closest at 895 career points, though the Traores and sophomore AJ George are all also on track to reach the milestone before the end of their careers at Long Beach State. Marcus Tsohonis also has a chance to reach the milestone solely at Long Beach State with his impressive scoring output this season while passing 1,000 Division I points scored earlier this year.

• Graduate transfer Messiah Thompson has also given the Beach a lift at the point guard position. Thompson is averaging 7.2 points and 2.6 assists per game off of the bench, providing more quickness and experience from the bench as a great shooter and ball-handler. In his second start of the season at Cal Poly, Thompson scored nine points and passed 1,000 Division I points scored over stops at Campbell, Alabama A&M and the Beach.

• After an impressive debut season last year as a redshirt freshman, AJ George continues to play a major role for the Beach as a sophomore. Coming off of the bench this season after starting 25 games a year ago, George is averaging 8.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game as a consistent presence in the rotation.