BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - The University of California, Merced men's basketball team played their second NCAA Mid-Major Division 1 opponent of the season on Tuesday night and despite a loss, held CSU Bakersfield under their season average and were within three possessions with six minutes left in the game. The final score in front of nearly 2,000 fans at the Icardo Center was 67-53 in favor of the Roadrunners.
The 67 points that the opponent scored marked their lowest point total in a win this season. Reigning Cal Pac Defensive Player of the Year Ryan Haywood played a key role in the defensive performance, sharing game-high with two steals in 19 minutes. The Bobcats (6-3) also held CSU Bakersfield to just ten points in the first ten minutes.
Once the clock ticked down into the nine minute mark, the Roadrunners made three of their next four shots but Bobcat freshman Mason Westlake responded with a three-point field goal to keep the game within a possession at 14-11.
Westlake was one of three Bobcats to knock down multiple three-point field goals Tuesday night.
Senior Aaron Laflin led the Bobcats overall with 14 points on an efficient 67% (4-6) from the beyond the arc. His four triples tied his career-high that he set back on January 18, 2018, in a win over Simpson University. The most recent Cal Pac Player of the Week is now 14 three-point field goals away from becoming the third player in program history eclipse 100 career makes from beyond the arc.
Laflin's first two three's came towards the end of the first half and brought the score to 24-18 and 29-21. The Bobcats were on the wrong side of both those scores and trailed 37-25 at intermission.
Trailing by 19 approximately five minutes into the half, the Bobcats went on a 9-2 run to get back within striking distance at 50-40. Daugherty capped off the run with a bucket off a Westlake assist.
After back and forth action for the next seven minutes, a westlake three got the Bobcats within nine points, 58-49. However, that would end up being the closest the game got in the final five minutes and 42 seconds.
The only other Bobcat points before time expired were two free throws each from Daugherty and Kingsley Oboralt.
Daugherty finished with 12 points, three triples, four rebounds and a steal.
Other notables include six points and two assists from Cole Taira and four rebounds and five assists from Mason Westlake.
The Bobcats scored 27 points off the bench and 15 points off turnovers.
Looking ahead, the Bobcats open up California Pacific Conference play with a visit to Angwin, Calif., to take on the Pacific Union Pioneers on Saturday, December 15. The jump inside the covered wagon is slated for 8:30pm.
