MERCED, Calif. – The University of California, Merced men's basketball team dominated defensively and ten different Bobcats scored in a 64-45 win over Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University on Saturday night inside the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium.
The Bobcats (4-2, 2-0) have now held two straight opponents under 50 points, marking the first time doing so in back-to-back games since the 2017-18 season. Overall, the Bobcats are 14-1 in the Kevin Pham era and have won ten in a row when holding opponents under 50 points.
UC Merced forced 22 turnovers and limited the Eagles to just 13% from three-point range in the victory.
Skylar Robinson led the Bobcats with a season-high 14 points all in the second half on 100% (6-6) shooting. Robinson also grabbed a season-high five rebounds and blocked three shots.
Cameron Brown finished with 13 points for the second consecutive night and tied his career-high with four steals.
Chris Bramah scored eight points with two three-pointers, while Brandon Harmon and Tiler Fears added six points each. Fears also had three steals and three assists.
Other notables include six rebounds from Jaron Mertle, five points from Aidan Sevilla, and two steals and a block from Jaden Lebel.
UC Merced and Embry-Riddle traded leads for the first 12 minutes before the Bobcats pulled away for good with Bramah's second triple of the night. Sevilla buried a three-pointer a couple of possessions later to put the Bobcats up 25-20. Up 29-26 inside of ten seconds in the first half, Brown drove baseline and recorded a three-point play with a bucket and a made free throw to give the Bobcats a 32-26 lead at intermission.
Out of the break, the Eagles cut the Bobcats advantage down to one possession before Robinson got going and went on a personal 8-0 run to put UC Merced up by double figures for the first time at 42-31.
Ninety seconds later, Brown picked the pocket of the Eagles ball handler and threw down a one-handed dunk to make it 46-33. Harmon then weaved his way through the lane for a layup and Fears got a steal and score to cap off a 16-2 run over a seven-minute stretch. At the peak of the run, the Bobcats led 50-33 with eleven minutes remaining in the game.
The Bobcats extended their lead to 18 points at 58-40 inside of five minutes and also led by 18 with two and a half minutes to go en route to the victory.
UC Merced outscored Embry-Riddle 32-19 in the second half, marking the second straight game limiting an opponent to less than 20 points over the final 20 minutes. UC Merced held Embry-Riddle without a made field goal for three different three-minute stretches, plus a pair of two-minute stretches in the second half.
Offensively, the Bobcats finished the night shooting 48% from the field, 25% from downtown, and 60% from the charity stripe.
The Bobcats also scored 26 points off turnovers and finished with 38 points in the paint.
UC Merced's 2-0 start in Cal Pac play is their second in as many seasons and third in the last four years. The Bobcats have won five straight games against Embry-Riddle since the 2019-20 season including three in a row by double figures.
Up next, UC Merced will play at Cal Maritime on Wednesday, December 6 with tip-off scheduled for 7:30pm inside the PEAC Main Gym in Vallejo, Calif.
