MERCED, Calif. – The University of California, Merced men's basketball team earned a 73-65 senior night win over Benedictine University Mesa on Saturday inside the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium.
The Bobcats (16-7, 14-4), winners of eight of the last nine, led by as many as 18 points in the victory and remain in the #2 spot in the California Pacific Conference standings with two games remaining.
Senior Tiler Fears led the Bobcats with a season-high 22 points on 9-14 shooting and 60% (3-5) from beyond the arc. Fears's second 20-point game of the season was supported by a season-high tying six rebounds and three assists. His three assists moved him ahead of Michael Yonemoto for sixth in program history with 117 career assists.
Jaron Mertle notched his second straight double-double and neared career-high's with 14 points and 14 rebounds on his senior night. Overall, his double-double was the ninth of his career and he moved ahead of Aaron Laflin and Chiwike E'denchukwu for the fourth most in program history. Mertle also had three assists, two blocks, and a steal.
Chris Bramah hit four three-pointers on his way to 14 points, marking the third time in the last five games the senior splashed at least four triples. His next three-pointer will put him top ten in program history for the most made three-pointers in a season.
Cameron Brown finished with eight points, four steals, and three assists. Myles Haynes scored six points and Aiden Sevilla scored five points.
Other notables include four rebounds each from seniors Josiah Ajiake and Skylar Robinson. Ajiake also hit a three-pointer.
The first ten minutes of the game featured seven lead changes with no team leading by more than three points. Chris Bramah had eight points in the first ten minutes for the Bobcats, while Mertle and Haynes had four each. The final lead change in the stretch, and of the game, was a Haynes bucket that gave the Bobcats a 16-15 advantage.
Haynes followed with two free throws and the Bobcats went on a 12-2 run over the next five minutes to go up by double figures at 27-17. Brown capped off the run with a steal and a breakaway two-handed slam.
UC Merced led 33-23 at halftime.
Fears scored on the first possession of the second half to give the Bobcats a new biggest lead of 12 points. The Bobcats added a point to the lead at 45-32 and then after a BenU field goal, head coach Kevin Pham's team scored the next seven points to go up by a game-high 18 at 52-34 with 14 minutes left in the contest.
The Bobcats were in front by 14 points at the ten-minute mark and got their lead back to 18 points a few minutes later following an offensive rebound putback from Mertle.
UC Merced led 72-56 inside of four minutes on their way to victory.
The Bobcats finished the night shooting 49.1% from the floor, 39.1% from downtown, and 61.5% from the charity stripe.
Looking ahead, UC Merced begins the final road trip of the regular season at University of Saint Katherine on Thursday, February 22. Tipoff from the USK Sports Complex in San Marcos, Calif., is scheduled for 7:30pm.
