MERCED, Calif. - A desperation shot with six seconds left from a Simpson University Red Hawk proved to be the difference in a California Pacific Conference battle Saturday night as the University of California, Merced men's basketball fell 62-61 inside the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium.
The Red Hawks game-winning bucket was from a falling down Jon Manjon, who got his hands on the ball after a block from Bobcats (8-9, 1-4) center Ronnie Kozak.
Manjon's shot was one of three lead changes in the final 90 seconds.
One of three lead changes was in favor of the Bobcats. Trailing 60-58, junior guard Ryan Haywood used a screen from Matt Laflin to get inside the paint and make a tough layup while running into a defender. The bucket evened the score at 60 and the defender was whistled for a foul. Haywood sunk the free throw to give the Bobcats a 61-60 lead.
After Simpson's miracle field goal to put them up 62-61, the Bobcats sprinted down the floor in time to get a shot off but the attempt was swatted away and game clock hit triple zeros.
The final ten seconds put a sour finish on what was otherwise an entertaining game for the home crowd right from the get-go.
Senior Matt Laflin scored a game-high 17 points off the bench, while Seth Cobb added 12 points and Haywood neared a double-double with eleven points and eight rebounds.
Moments after Cobb was introduced to the crowd as a starter for the first time in his Bobcat career, the sophomore poured in eight quick points to erase a five point deficit and even the score at ten.
M. Laflin followed Cobb's offensive surge with his first of five triples of the night to give the Bobcats a 13-10 lead. Ronnie Kozak and Cole Taira added to the offensive efforts with a field goal each and UC Merced was off to a 17-10 advantage approaching the midway mark in the first half.
Simpson responded with a 6-0 run but it was halted by a Mason Westlake splash from downtown to get the lead back to a couple possessions, 20-16.
Westlake's triple extended his three-point field goal streak to nine games.
Including Westlake's triple, ten of the Bobcats final 13 points in the first half were from the bench. Raphael Durr added five points and two steals during the stretch, while Laflin sunk a triple that had the Bobcats out in front 29-25.
Cole Taira scored the final field goal of the half for the Bobcats, a jumper with 3:07 on the clock to go up 31-25.
Despite not scoring in the final three minutes, the Bobcats held onto a 31-28 lead at intermission.
The Bobcats opened the second half on an 11-4 run to notch what would be the largest lead of the night, 42-34.
UC Merced led 44-38 after an Alfred Batmani bucket and then a triple from each team had the score reading 47-41 with just over eleven minutes to play.
The Bobcats also led by six points at 51-45 before Simpson began their strongest push of the night.
With six minutes left, Simpson had tied it up at 51.
Soon it was tied at 53-53 and again at 55-55. Simpson took a 58-55 lead but M. Laflin quickly tied it back up with his fifth three-point goal. That shot put the Santa Maria, Calif., native two triples away from becoming the Bobcats all-time three-point field goals leader.
The only other points following the 58-58 score were the three lead-changing buckets, two from Simpson and the three-point play from Haywood.
Overall, the Bobcats held Simpson well below their season scoring average. The Red Hawks came in Saturday night averaging 81.2 points per game and hadn't scored below that mark in their previous four conference games.
Other positives include winning the turnover and rebounding the battle. The Bobcats forced Simpson into 14 turnovers while committing 12. On the boards, the Bobcats grabbed 13 offensive boards, 35 rebounds total, compared to the opponent's five offensive rebounds and 32 total boards.
Individually, Kozak was a presence inside tying his season-high with eight rebounds. Durr added three steals and a pair of blocks. Cole Taira had four assists.
Looking ahead, the Bobcats face La Sierra University down in Riverside, Calif., on Thursday, January 17 at 7:30pm.
