MERCED, Calif. - Under tough circumstances and playing in their first game in 25 days due to COVID-19, the University of California, Merced men's basketball team fell to La Sierra University 63-52 in the California Pacific Conference opener Saturday night inside the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium.

The 25 days off, that included a cancellation and two postponements, was the longest stretch without a game during a regular season in program history. 

Mason Westlake led the Bobcats (3-7, 0-1) with 16 points and buried four triples, including three in the second half to keep the Bobcats in the game.

Westlake was also credited with two steals to extend his career-best multi-steal streak to three games.

Ruke Agbabune and Jayson Wiltz contributed nine points each off the bench, while Onkar Sidhu poured in eight points and grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds. Agbabune's nine points also marked a career-high. The sophomore knocked down a pair of three-point field goals and converted a three-point play the hard way.

Other individual notables include eight rebounds and a block from Jaron Mertle, and three assists from Justin Nguyen.

The Bobcats shot 36% (21-59) from the field compared to La Sierra's 47% (23-49) and 50% (9-18) from three-point territory. A positive, the Bobcats forced 14 turnovers and managed to hold a Cal Pac opponent under 65 points for the eighth straight time dating back to last season.

La Sierra cooled off as the game went on but they started out hitting 70% of their shots and opened the game on a 17-2 run. The Bobcats first field goal came just over seven minutes in, a crafty layup by Wiltz.

Wiltz hit a triple soon after to spark a 9-0 UC Merced run and the Bobcats were within two possessions at 17-11 closing in on the five minute mark of the first half.

However, that was as close as the Bobcats would come before intermission and they found themselves trailing 33-18 at the break. 

Looking for their biggest comeback win of the season, the Bobcats opened the second half on a 7-0 run capped off by a Agbabune three-point field goal to come within eight points at 33-25.

The two teams traded baskets for the next seven minutes or so and then back-to-back baskets from Wiltz had the Bobcats within two possessions with just over ten minutes remaining in regulation. His first basket came out of a timeout, while his second score came on an offensive rebound.

It was 49-44 with eight minutes left, but La Sierra embarked on an 11-2 run over the next five minutes that essentially put the game away. 

La Sierra's leading scorer and last year's Cal Pac scoring champion, Uriel Lejtman, tallied seven points in the game-defining run.

Lejtman had 17 points overall to lead all players.

The Bobcats snapped a seven-game Cal Pac home winning streak dating back to 2020. The defeat also snapped a nine-game winning streak against La Sierra, the most recent win coming in the California Pacific Conference Phase Two Tournament Championship game.

Looking ahead, the Bobcats host University of Antelope Valley on Monday, January 17 at 7:30pm. Spectators will not be permitted. The livestream is available here.