MERCED, Calif. - The University of California, Merced men's basketball team allowed just 46 points and set a program record for margin of victory in a California Pacific Conference game with a 76-46 win over Pacific Union College on Tuesday night.

The Bobcats (8-10, 5-3), winners of five of their last six, led wire-to-wire in the win and led by at least 20 points for the final 16 minutes. The biggest lead of the night was 34 points. The 30-point win bests the previous margin of victory record of 28 points against La Sierra on January 23, 2020.

The Bobcats 46 points allowed is the lowest scoring total for any team in a California Pacific Conference game since February 22, 2020. The Bobcats suffocated Pacific Union all night, limiting them to just a .239 (16-67) field goal percentage.

Offensively, Tiler Fears led four Bobcats in double figures with 15 points. Tuesday night marked his fifth 10+ point game of the season, his third while shooting at least 50% from the floor. Fears tied his career-high with two three-point field goals. He also had four assists and four rebounds.

Josiah Ajiake and Markel Wells pitched in 13 points each. Wells' scoring output marked a season-high, as did his five assists.

Caleb Gilbert added eleven points and grabbed five rebounds. Gilbert had seven of the Bobcats first nine points of the night.

Mason Westlake splashed three triples in the first four minutes of the second half to finish with nine points. The Cal Pac's all-time three-point record holder also grabbed a career-high eight rebounds.

Other individual notables include seven rebounds from Kingsley Obiorah, five rebounds from DeDrick Martin, and two steals each from Robert Benson and Georgie Nze.

The Bobcats jumped out to an early 7-0 lead and never looked back. The Bobcats scored another quick seven points after a Pacific Union timeout to extend their lead to double digits at 14-3.

The scoring margin was between eight and eleven points from the 15:47 mark all the way until the 2:16 mark of the first half. Wells extended the lead to 13 points with a couple makes at the foul line. UC Merced led 34-24 at intermission.

UC Merced put together the game's best seven minutes of basketball to start the second half. Fears started the stretch with a strong bucket inside, while Westlake followed with back-to-back-to-back triples. The 11-0 run soon turned into a 14-0 run, putting the Bobcats up 49-24 with just over 13 minutes left in the game. 

A couple minutes later up 56-33, Wells finished off a three-point play which sparked an 8-0 run. Fears buried a deep triple and then Ajiake converted down low after a Wells feed to garner a 30+ point lead at 64-33 midway through the half.

The Bobcats took their biggest lead of the night with 6:02 to play, 70-36 after a Benson basket.

Scoring slowed the rest of the way. The highlight down the stretch was a one-handed alley-oop finished off by Ajiake. Fears started the sequence with a steal, then played give and go and set up his fellow sophomore teammate perfectly at the rim.

The Bobcats were limited to just nine players due to COVID-19 protocols. 

The Bobcats have now won five straight home games over Pacific Union College with the average margin of victory being 14 points.

Looking ahead, the Bobcats will take on Westcliff University in Huntington Beach, Calif., on Saturday, February 19 at 12:00pm. The game, originally supposed to be played on February 10, was rescheduled yesterday and will be played at Golden West College.