UCSD opens Big West play in Santa Barbara; USD travels to Viejas Arena to face Aztecs – San Diego Union-Tribune

The UC San Diego Tritons (6-2) have won four games in a row and are entering the Big West Conference with a high lead.

After winning the Boardwalk Battle tournament in Florida on Nov. 23, coach Eric Olen’s team had a full week to prepare for Saturday’s 109-33 win over Division III La Verne, as well as several more practice sessions to get it done to prepare for Thursday’s Big West opener at UC Santa Barbara.

The key to the strong start was balanced scoring, a defense that allowed 61.1 points per game and consistent performance from three seniors.

Guard Tyler McGhie is averaging a team-best 18.5 points per game and leads the Big West with 30 made 3-pointers. Hayden Gray leads the nation with 31 steals and Aniwania Tait-Jones is shooting 54.4% from the field.

UCSB (6-1) should present an interesting challenge. The Gauchos rank first in the Big West in shooting (50.4%), third in scoring (81.3 points per game) and second in points allowed (60.4 points), giving them the best points lead in the conference.

Coach Joe Pasternack’s team has victories against Portland, San Jose State and Fresno State; UCSB’s only loss came on November 20th at home against UTEP, 5-2.

Four players average 10 or more points per game. One of them is senior guard Deuce Turner, who played for USD the past two seasons.

“The level of play goes up as the season goes on and conference play is obviously a step up from there,” Olen said. “We have a really good Thursday ahead of us and we’re all looking forward to the challenge.”

Next: 7 p.m. Thursday at UC Santa Barbara (6-1); Saturday, 7 p.m. against Cal State Bakersfield (4-4). Streaming: ESPN+.

PLNU divides two

Point Loma Nazarene (7-2) split two home games last weekend, beating Seattle Pacific 82-68 on Friday and losing to Central Washington 69-68 on Saturday, moving them from 12th place to no longer in the current Division-II -rankings fell back.

The Sea Lions now compete in the PacWest Conference and are looking to secure their fourth straight regular season title.

Next: 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the Dominican Republic (5:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.); 3:30 p.m. Saturday at the Academy of Art (4-3). Streaming: PacWestnetwork.tv

Bullfighters fall in Tempe

USD (3-5) got off to a strong start at Arizona State on Tuesday night, taking an early 12-point lead and trailing by just seven points at halftime before the Sun Devils ran away with a 90-53 victory.

The biggest difference was 3-point shooting. ASU shot 12 for 23 from distance while the Toreros shot 2 for 19.

Shooting disparity has been a problem for coach Steve Lavin’s team so far this season. The USD has made 24.2% from deep while its opponents have made 35.3%.

One bright spot was the play of junior guard Kjay Bradley. Bradley, a transfer from San Diego City College, has started all eight games and is averaging a team average of 16.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.4 steals per game.

USD plays No. 24 San Diego State on Saturday night at Viejas Arena. The Toreros are 14-23 all-time against the Aztecs, with their last win coming in 2018.

Next: Saturday, 7 p.m., No. 24 San Diego State (4-2). TV: YurView.

The G League’s Clippers are stumbling

The G League’s San Diego Clippers (5-4) have suffered two home losses to the Stockton Kings: They lost 125-106 on Sunday and 123-116 on Tuesday.

One bright spot in Tuesday’s loss was the performance of forward Tosan Evbuomwan, who scored a season-high 27 points on 10 of 15 shooting.

Next: 5:00 p.m. Saturday at South Bay Lakers (3-6). Streaming: NBAGLeague.com.