MERCED, Calif. – Jayson Wiltz and Cameron Brown both turned in 20+ point performances and the Bobcats shot lights out in an 87-73 win over Cal Maritime on Saturday night inside the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium.

The Bobcats (11-6, 9-3) win was their third in a row and the offense has been on fire in all three victories, scoring at least 85 points and shooting over 50% from the field. In this win, the Bobcats neared a program-record with a .585 field goal percentage and shot 50% (11-22) from three-point land. UC Merced's efforts gives them a 9-3 record in California Pacific Conference play for the first time in program history.

UC Merced came up big in the second half outscoring the Keelhaulers 50-32.

Wiltz finished with a career-high 24 points highlighted by connecting on all five of his three-point attempts in the second half. He made six three-pointers overall and becomes just the eighth player in program history, only the third in the last five years, with six or more triples in a contest. Wiltz also had three assists and a block in 30 minutes off the bench.

Brown tallied 23 points, six rebounds, a career-high tying five steals, four assists, and a block. Brown's 20-point outing was his third in the last eight games and he put in 58% (7-12) of his field goal attempts and 75% (9-12) of his free throws in Saturday night's win. Brown, who also tallied five steals a two weeks ago against Park Gilbert, is the first Bobcat in a decade with five steals in two different games. All-time, Brown joins just George Idehen and Aki Chambers with that feat.

Tiler Fears added 16 points on 6-8 shooting and a season-high five assists. The senior scored eight of the Bobcats first 12 points highlighted by back-to-back three-pointers.

Jaron Mertle pitched in seven points and five rebounds, while Chris Bramah was good for four assists, two blocks, a steal, and a three-pointer all in the first half. Myles Haynes notched five points and two blocks.

The Bobcats punched first and led 12-5 five minutes in following Fears' eight point surge. UC Merced extended their lead to 19-11 eight minutes in and led by a first half-high of nine points at 23-14 shortly after that.

Cal Maritime cut the deficit to five before Wiltz hit his first of six three-pointers to give his team an eight-point lead. However, the Keelhaulers fought back and a three-point play from Justice Cole capped off a 9-0 Cal Maritime run that gave them their first lead of the night at 27-26 with six minutes remaining in the first half.

Three lead changes followed in the next 90 seconds before the two teams were tied 31-31. The Bobcats strung together consecutive buckets to lead 37-33 late, but Cal Maritime ended the half on an 8-0 run to reverse the score and carry a 41-37 lead into halftime.

Despite trailing, UC Merced was shooting 51% when they went into the locker room and they came out of intermission and executed at an even higher success rate.

Haynes scored on the opening possession of the second half and then dropped it off to Mertle down on the block to quickly pull even, 41-41. Those Bobcats first two baskets started an 8-0 run to result in a lead change.

Tied 47-47 shortly after, head coach Kevin Pham's squad then changed the dynamic of the game with a 13-2 run over the next three minutes to go up by double figures. The Bobcats hit five straight shots in the surge, including two triples from Wiltz and one from Haynes. The hot shooting gave the Bobcats a 60-49 lead which then turned into a 66-53 advantage midway through the half.

Then after the lead was cut down to nine points, Wiltz hit two more shots from downtown as part of his five three-pointers in the second half. He had the Bobcats up 73-58 with eight minutes remaining.

UC Merced's advantage was between ten and 15 points for the next five and a half minutes until a Brown three-point play essentially proved to be the knockout punch putting his team up by a game-high 17 at 84-67 with 2:22 to go.

All said and done, UC Merced shot 68% from the field in the second half and 85.7% (6-7) from downtown with Wiltz going 5-5. Wiltz had 19 second half points, while Brown had 15 in the final stanza.

With the victory, UC Merced sweeps Cal Maritime in the regular season for the first time since 2019-20 and for just the third time in program history.

Up next, the Bobcats begin a three-game road trip in Prescott, Ariz., against Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University on Thursday, February 1. Tipoff from the ERAU Activity Center is scheduled for 6:30pm PST.