MERCED, Calif. – Five Bobcats scored in double figures as the University of California, Merced men's basketball team earned its first win over a Top 10 team in program history, beating No. 7 The Master's University 76-60 on Thursday night inside the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium.
With the win, the Bobcats (5-4) are over .500 for the first time this season and extend their winning-streak to a season-long three games. Entering the night, UC Merced's highest-ranked win was against No. 12 Oregon Tech in the 2018-19 season.
UC Merced shot 48% from the field, while holding the Mustangs to just a .313 field goal percentage and 60 points. TMU had scored more than 60 points in 66 consecutive games before the Bobcats defense slowed them down, a streak that dated back to November 19, 2022.
The Bobcats outrebounded TMU 40-31 and forced 12 turnovers.
Jayson Wiltz was the Bobcats leading scorer with 14 points on 50% (6-12) shooting. The senior knocked down a pair of triples to pass Andrew Williams for ninth in program history with 78 career three-pointers.
Cameron Brown added 13 points in just 19 minutes of action and was 5-9 from the floor. Thursday marked Brown's 36th career double-figure scoring effort which moves him into a tie with Matt Laflin for the sixth most in program history. Brown also had three assists and three rebounds in the victory.
Aidan Sevilla finished with a career-high tying 12 points and matched Brown with three assists and three rebounds. Elijah Charles scored ten points hitting 4-6 from the field to go along with two blocks and two steals. Tiler Fears got to the free throw line at a high clip and made six of nine free throws helping him score in double figures for the fifth time in the last six games. He finished with ten points.
Jaron Mertle was dominant tallying season-high's of 13 rebounds, five assists, and two blocks. Blake Hudson pitched in eight points and two steals.
UC Merced opened the game on a 10-0 run over the first four minutes, scoring on five of its first six possessions and getting a field goal from four different players. However, TMU trimmed the Bobcats lead to one-possession shortly after at 14-12. Fears responded with a three-point play as the Bobcats remained ahead for the entire first half.
Up 30-26 with 6:43 on the clock, Wiltz went on a personal 5-0 run and then a Fears free throw put the Bobcats up by double digits again at 36-26. However, the Bobcats didn't make a field goal for the final five minutes of the half and the lead was just 38-35 at intermission.
TMU owned the first two minutes of the second half with five straight points, including a three-pointer from Kaleb Lowery that gave the Mustangs their first and only lead of the night, 40-38. The Bobcats dominated the rest of the way.
Head coach Kevin Pham's squad scored on its next four trips down the floor for an 8-0 run, and the run wasn't done there. Overall, the Bobcats went on a 27-5 run over the next nine minutes that proved to be the difference maker in the game. The run lasted from the 17:00 minute mark to the 7:53 mark and at one point the Bobcats had held TMU without a field goal for five minutes. Offensively, Brown led the run with ten points while Hudson scored seven points. A Brown layup capped the run with his team in front 65-45.
The Bobcats led by as many as 21 points down the stretch after a Charles two-handed slam, 72-51 with 4:28 left. The Bobcats also led by 21 points courtesy of a Wiltz triple inside of two minutes on their way to their best win in program history.
UC Merced snapped an eleven-game losing streak against Top 10 opponents and a six-game losing streak against The Master's. It was the Bobcats first ever win for each scenario.
UC Merced finished the night slashing .480/.364/.649. The Bobcats made 24 free throws. Other team notables include blocking a season-high six shots and assisting on 15 of 24 made field goals.
A foul-heavy game saw 50 combined fouls, including 30 called against The Master's.
Up next, UC Merced will host Lincoln University on Saturday, December 7 at 7:30pm inside the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium.
