LANCASTER, Calif. – In the first California Pacific Conference game in the last ten years in which both teams entered the contest undefeated at 5-0, the University of California, Merced men's basketball team was edged by University of Antelope Valley 72-66 on Thursday night inside the Pioneer Event Center.
The Bobcats (7-4, 5-1) overcame a ten-point second-half deficit and took a five-point lead inside of five minutes before falling short in an attempt to beat UAV in Lancaster for the first time in program history.
Tiler Fears led UC Merced with 19 points on 50% (7-14) shooting. The senior guard also blocked a shot and recorded a steal.
Cameron Brown scored 16 points, while DeDrick Martin neared his first career double-double with nine points and a 2023-24 team-high 13 rebounds. Martin also had three steals. Chris Bramah scored nine points.
Jaron Mertle did a bit of everything with nine rebounds, six points, three assists, two blocks, and two steals.
Head coach Kevin Pham's team scored on its first four possessions in the first meeting between these two teams since the Bobcats beat UAV in the 2023 Cal Pac Tournament Championship Semifinals. A Bramah triple put the Bobcats up 9-4 and then after a couple more defensive stops, Bramah scored again to put his team up 11-4.
However, UAV followed with a 17-2 run and led 21-13 with eight minutes left in the first half. Fears and Mertle combined to bring the Bobcats back within a possession a couple minutes later before UAV took a first-half high lead of nine points at 34-25 inside of 90 seconds to go before intermission. UAV would lead 36-28 at halftime.
UAV extended their lead to a game-high ten points a minute into the second half. Brown answered with a bucket inside the painted area that ultimately started a 12-1 UC Merced run to give the Bobcats a 40-39 lead.
Tied 44-44 with eleven minutes left, Mertle got an offensive rebound putback to regain the Bobcats the lead.
UC Merced led 55-52 with six minutes left after a pair of Brown free throws and then a couple Bramah free throws gave the Bobcats a five-point lead with five minutes remaining. UC Merced also had a two-possession lead at 61-56 and then after two lead changes it was 64-61 Bobcats in front inside of three minutes.
UAV responded and controlled the final two minutes, getting three consecutive defensive stops and earning their way to the foul line on the other end making seven of nine free throws and two of three field goals in the stretch to put themselves in position to win. UC Merced had an opportunity to tie the game and potentially force overtime with the shot clock off, but a three-pointer went in and out of the rim with seven seconds left. UAV scored three points in the final five seconds to finish the 72-66 victory.
UAV shot 50% on the night, while the Bobcats finished shooting at a 44.1% clip. Both teams combined to hit just seven three-pointers on only 20 three-point attempts.
UC Merced won the turnover battle in the loss, forcing 14 while committing 12.
Up next, the Bobcats will play at Benedictine University Mesa on Thursday, January 11 inside the Coyote Center at Chandler-Gilbert Community College in Chandler, Ariz. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30pm PST.
