SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (Feb. 22, 2023) – The UC Santa Barbara Men's Basketball team (20-7, 11-5 Big West) return to The Thunderdome on Thursday, Feb. 23, as they host Long Beach State. The last time these two teams faced each other were in Long Beach, when the Gauchos pulled out the 75-72 win over the Beach on their home court. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Gauchos hosted the Cal State Fullerton Titans in The Thunderdome. During the game, Miles Norris hit two career milestones: 500 career rebounds and 1,000 career points. He is just the 12th player in Gaucho history to hit these milestones. Despite this excitement, the Gauchos were not able to come out with the win, dropping this Big West game 74-60.

SCOUTING THE BEACH

• Long Beach State is coming off of two losses that put them in seventh in The Big West rankings. In that time, they took a loss to UC Riverside on the road and to Hawai'i in the Pyramid.
• The Beach are such a strong team, especially when it comes to rebounding. They are second in the NCAA in rebounds per game, grabbing 41.29 a game, while ranking eighth in offensive rebounds per game, defensive rebounds per game, and rebounds per game in the top 17 in the country. Along with that, they are 18th in the NCAA in fastbreak points. Long Beach State are also first in The Big West in assists per game, scoring offense and steals per game.
• Lassina Traore is one of the best players for the Beach on offense and defense. He is No. 1 in The Big West in field goal percentage while he is seventh in the NCAA and No. 1 in the conference in rebounds with 292. With numbers like that, it puts him in 10th in the NCAA in rebounds per game with 10.4. As he averages a double-double a game, Traore is 10th in the country with 14 double-doubles this season.
• Marcus Tsohonis leads the Beach in scoring as he has accumulated 351 points over the course of the season as he averages 15.26 points a game.
• Aboubacar Traore is also a major influence on this team as he averages 9.82 points a game while grabbing 8.57 rebounds a game.
• Long Beach State is coached by Dan Monson, who is in 26th season as a head coach and 16th with the Beach. Over the course of his career, he has accumulated a 421-375 record while totaling 251 wins and 252 losses with LBSU.

WHEREABOUTS
The Gauchos will hit the court against the Beach at 7 p.m. in The Thunderdome. A live stream will be available through ESPN+ with live stats through ucsbgauchos.com.