Men's Basketball Returns To Site Of Triple OT Classic Thursday At UC San Diego

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Long Beach State is back on the road for two this weekend, where the Beach has been one of the best squads in the nation, starting the week tied with five other teams with six true road victories this season. The Beach will start at UC San Diego Thursday before a nationally televised contest on ESPNU at UC Santa Barbara Saturday.

Game:............................ Long Beach State at UC San Diego
Date:......................................... Thursday, January 11, 2024
Time:............................................................................ 7 p.m.
Location:......................................................... La Jolla, Calif.
Arena:................................................ Liontree Arena (4,200)
TV:.............................................................................. ESPN+
TV Talent:..................................... Steve Quis, John Kentera
Webcast:.................................................................... ESPN+
Radio:.............................................................................. N/A
Live Stats:.............................................. beachlivestats.com

RIGHT AWAY
• Thursday's contest is the first meeting since a triple overtime epic at Liontree arena. Marcus Tsohonis set a program record with 46 points, both Traores finished with double-doubles and Maddox Monson fed AJ George for the decisive basket in the third overtime in the 112-110 win for the Beach.

• Aboubacar Traore was named the Big West Player of the Week, the second player and third honor this season for LBSU. Traore set a career-high with 30 points on the road at Cal Poly and followed with a double-double against UC Riverside as the Beach improved to 3-1 in Big West play.

• Aboubacar's big week continued a massive start to Big West play for the junior. Traore now ranks in the conference's Top 7 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.

NEWS & NOTES
• Long Beach State is now 9-1 when scoring 80 or more points this season, and are averaging exactly just over that total this season at 80.8 points per game as a team behind four players averaging double figures in Tsohonis, Jadon Jones, Lassina Traore and Aboubacar Traore.

• 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 10th 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 second again in the Big West in rebounding in 2023-24

• 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 10.8 rebounds this season with 9 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 12.56points per game as a junior while bringing in 7.9 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 6th at the Beach with 676 career rebounds. He also ranks 5th 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.

• Aboubacar Traore is looking to join a club of one; LBSU career blocks leader Antrone Lee as the only other player to record 100 steals and 100 blocks during their time at the Beach highlighting the defensive standouts. Junior Jadon Jones also has an opportunity to join that elite defensive list.

• Aboubacar Traore has joined an elite list of five other players nationally to record 750 points, 500 rebounds, 200 assists, 100 steals and 75 blocks in their collegiate career. That group includes only the one junior in Traore, along with three seniors and two fifth-year players, and just two other players who have played their entire careers at the same school. The full list is Tre Mitchell of Kentucky, DJ Jeffries of Missisippi State, Josiah-Jordan James of Tennessee, Shemar Wright of SIU-Edwardsvile and Calvin Solomon of UTEP.

• 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.

• 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.

• Graduate transfer Messiah Thompson has also given the Beach a lift at the point guard position. Thompson is averaging 7.2 points and 2.5 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 8.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per game as a consistent presence in the rotation.

• Also playing in the point rotation is another transfer in Isa Silva. Silva was a consensus national Top 100 recruit coming out of Jesuit High School in Sacramento two seasons a year ago, and comes to the Beach after two years in the rotation with Stanford, playing 64 games with the Cardinal. This season, Silva started the first 14 games of the year and is averaging 4.1 points and 1.8 assists per game.

• Senior Amari Stroud continues to play a big role off the bench. Coming up with 9 points and 9 rebounds in just 20 minutes against Life Pacific, the forward averaged 6.7 points and 3.8 rebounds per game in Big West action a season ago, and is an outstanding defender and active big man who complements the up-tempo pace favored by the team.

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Men's Basketball Returns To Site Of Triple OT Classic Thursday At UC San Diego

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Players Mentioned

AJ George

Jadon Jones

Maddox Monson

Isa Silva

Amari Stroud

Messiah Thompson

Aboubacar Traore

Lassina Traore

Marcus Tsohonis

Long Beach State University Athletics