Box Score MESA, Ariz. – Kingsley Obiorah scored the go-ahead basket with two seconds left and the fourth-seeded University of California, Merced men's basketball team followed with a steal to cap off a defensive performance for the ages and a 42-40 win over fifth-seeded Cal Maritime in the California Pacific Conference Championship Opening Round on Saturday afternoon at Bell Bank Park.
With the win, the Bobcats (20-8) have reached 20 wins for the first time in program history and have won a playoff game for the third time in the last four years. The Bobcats will continue their tournament run against top-seeded University of Antelope Valley on Monday, February 27.
The Bobcats 40 points allowed marked both a program record and a California Pacific Conference Championship record. The Bobcats held Cal Maritime to just 26% (14-54) from the floor, forced 14 turnovers, and held every Keelhauler who took the floor to three field goals or less.
Obiorah's game-winner finished off a late two-possession comeback for the Bobcats, who led the majority of the game but trailed 39-35 with 90 seconds left.
Head coach Kevin Pham's team finished the final 90 seconds perfect, scoring on their final three possessions and forcing a turnover to lock up the victory. The Bobcats first bucket in closing time marked UC Merced's lone three-pointer of the day, a triple from the wing off the hand of Chris Bramah to make a it a one-point game at 39-38. After a stop, DeDrick Martin scored from the left block over a pair of Keelhauler defenders to put the Bobcats on top 40-39 with 49 seconds left. Cal Maritime would then take 28 seconds off the clock, draw a foul, and split a pair of free throws to tie the game.
UC Merced now had the chance to win the game out of a timeout. After a series of handoffs and with the clock at five seconds, Bramah found a cutting Myles Haynes down the key and an extra pass to Obiorah set up the game-winning layup. DeDrick Martin stole the ensuing inbounds pass and broke away from the defender before he could foul, sealing the 42-40 win.
Obiorah, the Cal Pac Defensive Player of the Year, finished with 14 points on 50% shooting, eleven rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and a steal. The Bobcats all-time double-double's leader became just the third Bobcat to notch a double-double in a Cal Pac Tournament game. Overall, the performance marked the Alameda, Calif., natives 13th double-double of the season. Four of Obiorah's seven rebounds came on the offensive glass. Eleven more total rebounds would make Obiorah the program's all-time leading rebounder with 625 in his career. Also of note, Obiorah's first of two blocks broke his own UC Merced single-season record of 45 blocks originally set in his 2019-20 season.
Bramah scored eleven points and neared a double-double with a season-high nine rebounds.
DeDrick Martin added a season-high ten points with a .625 field goal percentage. Myles Haynes hauled in seven rebounds to go along with five points and a blocked shot.
All-Cal Pac First Team selection Mason Westlake recorded a game-high four assists.
UC Merced left their defensive mark on the game early, holding Cal Maritime to just a single-point for nearly a ten-minute stretch in the first half (13:31-3:39). Of UC Merced's 13 defensive possessions in that span, the Bobcats forced nine missed shots and forced five turnovers. The result was an 18-9 UC Merced lead. The Bobcats extended their lead to double figures shortly after and took a game-high 25-13 lead into halftime.
The Bobcats maintained a lead between six and 12 points for the first nine minutes of the second half. The lead got cut to two points at 33-31 and Cal Maritime kept at it with a 6-0 run to go up 37-33 with just under four minutes to go. Soon after it was 39-35 before UC Merced turned the game around with perfect execution down the stretch, capped off by Obiorah's bucket and Martin's steal.
UC Merced, who has played Cal Maritime in six of their nine total Cal Pac Tournament games in the program's 12-year history, improved to 3-3 in the postseason against the Keelhaulers.
Also of note, the Bobcats improved to 13-13 in the all-time series with Cal Maritime.
Up next, UC Merced will play top-seeded and 20th-ranked University of Antelope Valley on Monday, February 27 at 5:00pm PST in the Cal Pac Championship Semifinals at Bell Bank Park in Mesa, Ariz.
