MERCED, Calif. – The University of California, Merced men's basketball team played in their second straight overtime game but fell 81-72 to University of Saint Katherine on Saturday night inside the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium.

The Bobcats (16-7, 12-5) erased a 14-point first half deficit and a five-point deficit with two minutes left to have a chance at overtime. Mason Westlake sunk a game-tying free throw with 25 seconds left in regulation, and both teams came up empty on their combined next three shots in the short timeframe to officially send the game to an extra period with the scored tied 68-68.

Saint Katherine would go onto outscore the Bobcats 13-4 in overtime to earn the win.

Westlake led all scorers with 25 points to go along with six rebounds, three assists, and a steal. He also splashed six triples and shot 46% (6-13) from beyond the arc in route to his 25-point scoring night.

Westlake's scoring output moved him up multiple lists, both for a single-season and over the duration of a career. For single-season, Westlake's 25-point Saturday night was enough to officially move him into the California Pacific Conference's top spot in 2022-23 with 17.5 PPG in league play and 16.2 PPG overall. A career note, Westlake passed Menlo College alum Julian Harris (2011) and Simpson University alum Markise Morrison (2008) for seventh in Cal Pac history with 1,313 career points.

Kingsley Obiorah recorded his second straight double-double and his tenth of the season overall on the same night he became the conference's all-time blocks leader. The Alameda, Calif., native finished with ten points, 12 rebounds, and two blocks. Obiorah's first block, the 114th of his career which came in the first four minutes against USK, officially broke the Cal Pac record that Simpon's Ian Corella previously held since 2015.

DeDrick Martin and Ruke Agbabune were also solid in the front court for the Bobcats on Saturday night, scoring a career-high 14 and ten points, respectively on efficient shooting nights. Martin shot 78% (7-9), while Agbabune finished 80% (4-5) from the floor and made two of his three triples. Martin also hauled in five rebounds and was credited with a steal.

Tiler Fears tallied a career-high six assists in addition to scoring five points and blocking a shot. Chris Bramah was good for six rebounds and four assists.

UC Merced fell behind by double figures at 19-9 just over six minutes into the night. After cutting the deficit to seven, Saint Katherine followed with a 9-2 run to grab their game-high lead of 14 points midway through the first half. Westlake countered with a three-pointer, then Fears and Josiah Ajiake each knocked down a shot from beyond the arc to bring the Bobcats within five points at 29-24. The Bobcats got within a possession with three minutes to go before intermission and kept the deficit there, trailing 36-33 at halftime.

Although UC Merced didn't grab an immediate lead in the second half, they tied the game on three occasions and stayed within three points for the first five minutes. UC Merced trailed 54-50 midway through the half before back-to-back Westlake triples gave the Bobcats their first lead of the entire night, 56-54.

The Bobcats two-point lead ended up being their biggest of the game. UC Merced also led 58-56 before losing the lead and only tying the game the rest of the way.

UC Merced trailed 68-63 in the final two minutes but didn't let Saint Katherine score the rest of regulation to help force overtime. Martin finished through contact to make it a one possession game, and then Obiorah earned a trip to the foul line and knocked down both free throws to make it a 68-67 game with a minute to go. Westlake tied the game with a foul shot with 25 seconds left.

Both teams had a chance to win the game at the buzzer, but came up empty to force overtime. Saint Katherine then dominated the extra period to head back to Southern California with an 81-72 overtime win.

UC Merced finished the night shooting 44% (29-66) from the field, 45% (10-22) from downtown, and 57% (4-7) from the foul line. The Bobcats assisted on 17 of their 29 made field goals.

UC Merced has now played in multiple overtime games in back-to-back years.

Looking ahead, the Bobcats begin their final road trip of the regular season at La Sierra University on Thursday, February 9. Tipoff against the Golden Eagles at Alumni Pavilion in Riverside, Calif., is scheduled for 7:30pm.