MERCED, Calif. – The University of California, Merced men's basketball team dominated Simpson University and tied the program's single-season wins record Thursday evening, 78-57 in front of a strong Senior Night home contingent inside the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium.
The Bobcats (15-8, 7-4) finish the 2019-20 home slate with a 12-2 record and have won three straight overall, including back-to-back 20-point wins for the first time in program history.
Seniors Ryan Haywood, Raphael Durr and Andrew Williams were honored prior to the game and found themselves in the starting lineup together for the first time ever. The trio had the gym rocking from start to finish and all had their chance at a breakaway dunk. Williams' came at the end of the first half, while Haywood and Durr slammed one home towards the end of the night.
Haywood was one of four Bobcats in double figures and inched closer to the 1,000 point club with 13 points on 50% (6-12) shooting. Haywood, who has 978 career points, also had six rebounds and two steals in his final home game in a Bobcat uniform.
Durr and Williams each blocked a shot had seven and four points, respectively. Durr added a career-high five steals in the Bobcats suffocating defensive effort.
Mason Westlake led all scorers with 15 points and broke the program's single-season three-point field goals record for the second consecutive season. Westlake, who set the standard with 59 triples last year, buried five shots from beyond the arc on Thursday night and now has 63 three-pointers in the 2019-20 campaign. The East Riverside, Calif., native was 55% (5-9) from downtown in 19 minutes off the bench.
Kingsley Obiorah neared a double-double with 12 points and eight rebounds, while Chiwike E'denchukwu was good for eleven points and four assists. Obiorah also blocked three shots against the Cal Pac's tallest team.
Justin Nguyen and Jonah Cottrell had eight points each off the bench and combined to shoot 57% (4-7) from downtown.
Overall, the Bobcats shot 52% (31-59) from the field and 43% (10-23) from distance. UC Merced limited Simpson to a 37% (21-56) shooting night, 21% (3-14) from downtown.
Haywood and Simpson's Dylan Banks traded triples to begin the game before an Obiorah basket gave the Bobcats a lead that never vanished.
An Obiorah block led to a Haywood basket soon after and the Bobcats led 17-9 less than eight minutes in. Five different Bobcats scored in that span and Nguyen became the sixth Bobcat to score on the night as he jumped a Simpson pass and laid the basketball in at the other end for a 19-9 lead.
The 10-point advantage was the Bobcats biggest of the first half. The lead shrunk to 26-22 with five minutes to go but Westlake upped it to 29-22 immediately.
Up 34-28 towards the end of the half, Cottrell pickpocketed Zach Burns and found a sprinting Williams down the floor for his highlight reel slam. It was fitting that Williams accounted for the night's first dunk as he was introduced to the crowd in the pregame ceremony as the program's only two-time Midnight Madness slam dunk champion.
The Bobcats hung onto a 36-28 lead at intermission. The Bobcats shot exactly 50% (13-26) in the first half and took care of the basketball extremely well, committing just three turnovers.
Out of the break, Obiorah put the Bobcats up by double figures at 38-28 thanks to a Williams offensive rebound.
The Bobcats also led by ten at 41-31 and extended their lead as E'denchukwu completed a three-point play against the tallest player in the gym, the 7'1" Harvey Barr. E'denchukwu converted the foul shot to put the Bobcats up 44-31.
After the lead was cut to single digits, Nguyen and Westlake combined for back-to-back-to-back triples to garner a 53-39 advantage with 12:16 to go.
Another Westlake triple midway through the half had the Bobcats up 56-41. Haywood put the Bobcats up 17 points soon after with his one-handed slam off a breakaway. The Bobcats lead was between 13 and 17 for the next five minutes.
The advantage grew to 19 points after a Haywood lay-in, 70-51 with 4:22 on the clock. The score was Haywood's final home basket. After a pair of Simpson free throws, Durr scored four unanswered points including his highlight reel dunk to go up by a game-high 21, 74-53.
Durr's slam was a fitting way to score his final basket on Hostetler Court and the crowd made sure they showed him their appreciation with a standing ovation that lasted throughout the opponent's next possession.
Williams capped off his career on Hostetler Court with a bucket at the 1:45 mark and shortly after the score, all three seniors were subbed out one-by-one leading to a high-energy, emotional finish to the night.
The Bobcats 78-57 win follows a narrow road at Simpson earlier in the season and it marks the first regular season sweep over the Cal Pac opponent since the 2012-13 season.
The Bobcats held Simpson 20 points below their season average in the victory and are now tied for second in the conference playoff picture with three games to go.
UC Merced is tied with Cal Maritime, who welcomes the Bobcats to the Physical Education Center in Vallejo, Calif., on Saturday, February 15. The jump is scheduled for 7:30pm.
