ROCKLIN, Calif. – The University of California, Merced men's basketball team earned a 64-57 come-from-behind win over NCAA Division II opponent Menlo College on Friday night at the Bill Holtz Warrior Classic.
The Bobcats (2-2) trailed by 12 points at halftime before outscoring the Oaks 46-27 in the second half. The win was the first when trailing by double digits at halftime since February 2, 2023 and the first away from home since December 28, 2018. Also of note, the Bobcats win over Menlo was their first since 2019.
Jaron Mertle recorded his second consecutive double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. He reached 12 points with the help of going 3-3 from downtown, becoming the first forward in program history to shoot 100% from downtown with a minimum of three attempts. He is the first Bobcat at any position to accomplish that feat since Josiah Ajiake in November of 2022. Mertle grabbed 12 rebounds with six on the offensive glass.
Elijah Charles recorded his first career double-double and was the team's leading scorer with 14 points on 6-7 shooting. Like Mertle, he also grabbed 12 rebounds. Charles also blocked a shot.
Tiler Fears pitched in 13 points and a career-high five steals. He is just the ninth player in program history with at least five steals in a game. Also of note, he was 100% (6-6) at the free throw line and hauled in four boards.
Cameron Brown scored nine points, while Aidan Sevilla had five points and three assists. Austin Dewes blocked two shots.
The Bobcats were slow to start and were held without a field goal for nearly the first five minutes falling behind 8-0. However when the Bobcats did score, it was a 7-0 run in a 90-second stretch capped by a Sevilla triple to bring the Bobcats within a point.
The Bobcats also trailed by just a point at 12-11 but then gave up a 9-0 run and found themselves trailing 22-11 with seven minutes left in the first half. The scoring slowed for both teams leading into intermission and the scoring margin was between 9-13 points for the next six minutes before Menlo grabbed a game-high lead at 30-15. Jayson Wiltz hit a triple on the Bobcats final possession of the opening stanza to make it 30-18 at the break.
Head coach Kevin Pham's team got back in it by holding the Oaks to just one field goal over the first five and a half minutes of the second half while going on a 13-5 run. Charles scored eight points in the run that pulled the Bobcats within two possessions, 35-31.
After falling back behind by double digits one minute later, 42-31, Pawllos Habtom started facilitating with back-to-back assists and then earned himself a trip to the charity stripe where he made it a two-possession game again. Then, Fears recorded a steal and found Brown to make it a one score game at 42-40.
The Bobcats kept fighting, eventually grabbing their first lead of the night at 47-46 after a Sevilla jumper inside of eight minutes. Fears followed with a three-pointer finishing a 7-0 UC Merced run. Menlo jumped back in front at 54-52 inside of four minutes, only for Mertle to give the Bobcats the lead again 14 seconds later with his third three-pointer of the second half.
Fears gave the Bobcats the lead for good as he hit two free throws with 1:47 left in the game, making it 57-55. Including Fears' free throws, UC Merced made 9-10 free throws over the final 1:47 and held the Oaks without a field goal to earn the 64-57 victory.
Overall, the Bobcats held the Oaks to just one field goal over the final five minutes finishing the game on a 14-7 run.
The Oaks shot just 30% in the second half compared to 50% in the opening 20 minutes. In comparison, the Bobcats shot 50% in the second half and just 23% in the first half.
UC Merced outrebounded the Oaks 44-31 on the night and forced 13 turnovers.
With the win, the Bobcats improve to 4-13 all-time against the Oaks. The Bobcats snapped a three-match losing streak against the foe.
UC Merced is .500 on the year for the first time in the new campaign.
Up next, the Bobcats play at Jessup University on Saturday, November 16 to close the Bill Holtz Warrior Classic. Tipoff from Warrior Arena in Rocklin, Calif., is scheduled for 7:00pm.
