SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The University of California, Merced men's basketball team fell 64-63 to University of Saint Katherine on Thursday night at the USK Sports Complex.
The Bobcats (16-8, 14-5) led 63-61 with nine seconds left but a USK triple from Maur Tablada a second before the buzzer lifted the Firebirds to a win.
Jaron Mertle led the Bobcats with 13 points and 13 rebounds in his third consecutive double-double performance. It marked the tenth double-double of his career. The senior also reached a pair of rebounding milestones with his efforts on the glass. Mertle passed Chiwike E'denchukwu for fourth in program history with 466 career rebounds and he became just the fourth player in program history to grab 200+ rebounds in a single season.
Josiah Ajiake was the Bobcats leading scorer with a season-high 14 points on 85% (6-7) shooting, including 2-3 from downtown. He also finished with four rebounds and two steals.
Cameron Brown and Chris Bramah scored 12 points each. Brown added six rebounds, a block, and a steal.
Other notables include five points each from Tiler Fears and Brandon Harmon, and three assists from Mertle.
USK started the night with a 10-0 run over the first three minutes before the Bobcats got going.
Mertle got the Bobcats on the board at the free throw line and then Brown made the Bobcats first field goal shortly after. Then trailing 14-4, a Brown steal and score started an 11-0 run over the next four minutes. Bramah had four points in the surge that gave the Bobcats their first lead of the game at 15-14 midway through the first half.
USK followed with five straight to up 19-15 and then Ajiake matched that by himself, including making a three-pointer to put the Bobcats back up 20-19 with eight minutes left. Harmon followed with a triple to make it 23-19.
Up 23-22 with six minutes to go, Harmon earned his way to the foul line and made two free throws to start a 6-0 UC Merced spurt to go up by a team-high seven points at 29-22 with 4:23 to play before intermission. However, USK followed with a 7-0 run to tie the game but UC Merced would end up leading 33-31 at halftime. Head coach Kevin Pham's squad shot 50% (13-26) in the first half.
The Bobcats were held scoreless for nearly the first five minutes of the second half and fell behind 40-33 due to a 9-0 USK run. Trailing 42-35, Bramah splashed a three-pointer and then Aidan Sevilla brought the Bobcats within a possession at 42-40 with just under 13 minutes remaining.
After a USK triple, the Bobcats scored the next six points over the next four minutes to retake the lead at 46-45. Fears had five of the six points, including a three-pointer to get his team in front.
Bramah hit another shot from downtown to put the Bobcats up 51-47 with six minutes left but the home team countered with 7-0 run and led 54-51 with 4:29 on the clock. Three lead changes followed in the next 90 seconds with Brown putting UC Merced up 57-56 with solid work at the free throw line. Ajiake scored in transition shortly after to put UC Merced up 59-56 inside of three minutes.
UC Merced also led by three points, 61-58, after a Mertle bucket at 90 seconds. Three straight possessions went by without a bucket and then USK hit a baseline jumper to cut the Bobcats lead to a point with 15 seconds left. USK fouled the Bobcats but then a technical foul was called against UC Merced. USK made the technical foul shot first that tied the game, and then it was Brown's turn to shoot free throws and he sunk them both to put UC Merced up 63-61.
USK got the ball in the front court with seven seconds left and Tablada hit a corner three right before the buzzer that won the Firebirds the game.
Tablada finished as the game's leading scorer with 15 points and went 3-5 from downtown.
Despite the loss, UC Merced shot 44% compared to the Firebirds 39% and outrebounded the opponent 31-24. UC Merced also forced 16 turnovers but committed 19.
Looking ahead, UC Merced will play at Westcliff University in the regular season finale on Saturday, February 24. Tipoff from the Jordan Lawley Facility in Irvine, Calif., is scheduled for 2:00pm. The winner gets an opening round bye and goes straight to the California Pacific Conference Championship Semifinals next weekend.
