The UC San Diego men’s basketball team went on a 12-game win streak from November until the second week of January, but that streak ended Jan. 11 with a loss to UC Irvine at home.
The Tritons have already attempted to start a new streak, with a comfortable 80-54 road win Thursday over Long Beach State.
UC San Diego shot 58% in the win, highlighted by Tyler McGhie who scored 26 points to lead the Tritons. Three players had double-digit points in the win.
A strong first half resulted in a 15-point lead before halftime, a lead that would only grow during the second half on the way to a 26-point win.
Due to an issue with Long Beach State’s primary venue, the game was moved last-minute to another location. Tritons coach Eric Olen said the game being moved was just another outside distraction that his team needed to block out.
“The crowd or the venue or the officials, those are external factors we can’t control, so they can’t be part of our focus,” said Olsen in a postgame press conference. “I thought our guys did a nice job of concentrating on what matters.”
Compared to the team’s previous loss that ended their long win streak, Olen thought the performance of the defense helped fuel the offense, which resulted in a better flow overall.
Olen and the Tritons have another road contest to prepare for, as they take on UC Riverside Saturday at 5 p.m. PST.
The Highlanders have a 3-3 Big West conference record this season, but they are coming off of three consecutive losses. The most recent defeat to UC Santa Barbara came on a buzzer-beater.
Saturday’s game will be broadcasted on ESPN+.
