MERCED, Calif. - Four Bobcats scored in double figures but it wasn't enough as the Bobcats fell just one shot short of winning their second straight conference game on Saturday night, falling 65-64 inside the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium in the annual Community Night affair presented by Merced Mall.
The Bobcats (8-7, 1-2) nail-biter marked their fifth straight game against a Cal Pac foe dating back to last season in which the final score was within two points.
The final score was a solid indication of how close the game was throughout the night. Neither team held more than a two possession lead in the first half and it wasn't until midway through the second half when a team was able to create separation. That separation was a 49-39 Bobcat lead after an 11-3 run. Raphael Durr sparked the run with eight points, while Mason Westlake followed Durr's offensive effort with a triple to go up 49-39 with 10:26 left in the game. However, the 10 point lead shrunk to four points with 8:44 left and the game was tied at 56 with 4:44 left.
UC Merced and BenU Mesa traded buckets down the stretch and it was tied at 62 with 1:49 left. Durr broke the tie with his 12th and 13th points of the half, however the opponent's Richie Thornton nailed a three-point field goal in the far corner 20 seconds later which ended up being the game-winning shot. The Bobcats got three shots off in the final minute, including two with the shot clock off but failed to find the bottom of the net.
Westlake led the Bobcats offensively for the second straight night, finishing with 14 points and shot 40% (4-10) from downtown. Westlake's solid night gives him 12 triples in Cal Pac play, which leads the conference. For the entire season, Westlake has sunk 29 three-point field goals and is on pace to break the program's single-season record of 51 which was set back in the 2016-17 season.
Westlake also had three of the Bobcats 12 steals.
Raphael Durr added 13 points, while Cole Taira and Ryan Haywood each tallied ten points. Taira dished out a game-high seven assists and shared a game-high seven rebounds to go along with his double figure scoring effort.
Haywood tied his career-high with five steals and the Chino, Calif., native became just the second ever player in program history to eclipse the 100 career steals mark. He needs seven more to break the Bobcats all-time record of 110.
Matt Laflin registered a solid all-around performance of nine points, five rebounds, two blocks and a pair of steals.
Other positives include the Bobcats forcing BenU Mesa into 25 turnovers.
Up next, the Bobcats look to get back to .500 in conference play when they take on Cal Maritime Academy on Thursday, January 10. Tipoff in Vallejo, Calif., is set for 7:30pm.
