ROCKLIN, Calif. - The University of California, Merced men's basketball team failed to win their second leg of a back-to-back, falling 86-60 to William Jessup University on Saturday afternoon at the New Year's Classic.
The game marked the (RV) Bobcats (7-6, 1-0) final non-conference game of the season and they head into their full conference slate following the New Year's holiday.
Junior Ryan Haywood scored a team-high 14 points to go along with his team-high three assists. His double figure scoring effort gives him his fifth of the season, second in the last two games.
Raphael Durr pitched in eleven points and two steals, while Aaron Laflin finished with nine points and a team-high six rebounds.
Laflin has now led the team in rebounding in four straight games.
The Bobcats led once in the game, coming at the 13-12 mark. It was Haywood who gave the Bobcats the lead as he capped off an 11-4 run to erase an earlier 8-2 deficit. Five different players scored during the run, including freshman Kingsley Oboralt.
The game remained tightly contested until the ten minute mark of the first half. A Mason Westlake triple tied the game up at 19, however William Jessup followed the downtown make with a 14-4 run to take a double figure lead that held the rest of the game.
At halftime, the Bobcats trailed 43-28.
The Bobcats cut the deficit to 13 points three different times in the second half but the Warriors responded with a make of their own each time to keep the Bobcats from coming within ten points.
William Jessup led by at least 20 points for the final 12 minutes of the contest.
Despite the loss, the Bobcats shot higher than their season average, 41% compared to 40%, and forced the opponent into 13 turnovers. Haywood, Durr and Taira each had three steals, while six other Bobcats notched one.
Other notables include multiple three-point field goals from Aaron Laflin and Mason Westlake. Laflin's afternoon extended his three-point field goal streak to ten games dating back to November 10.
Looking ahead, the Bobcats host Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (AZ) on Thursday, January 3 inside the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium. The California Pacific Conference game is slated for 7:30pm.
