MERCED, Calif. – The University of California, Merced men's basketball team fell 73-55 to #1 seed and regular-season champion University of Antelope Valley on Sunday afternoon in the California Pacific Conference Semifinals.
The Bobcats finish the season 17-10 overall and 11-4 inside the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium.
Tiler Fears led the Bobcats with 17 points on 5-8 shooting. Fears also shot 75% (3-4) from three-point land and 4-6 from the foul line.
All-Cal Pac First Team selection Cameron Brown scored 12 points and grabbed six rebounds.
Josiah Ajiake added eleven points and two steals. Jayson Wiltz finished with two three-pointers and two steals, while Jaron Mertle added five points, six rebounds, and a career-high tying three blocks. Skylar Robinson grabbed five rebounds and Chris Bramah had three assists.
2X Cal Pac Player of the Year Michael Hayes led UAV with a double-double of 18 points and 13 rebounds.
UC Merced, who beat UAV in the semifinals a year ago, got off to a good start scoring on two of their first three possessions and forced back-to-back UAV turnovers. Then after falling behind 12-9, the Bobcats responded with a 12-0 run over the next three minutes to go up by nine points. Brown scored the first four points in the Bobcats run and then Wiltz highlighted the surge with back-to-back three-pointers. UC Merced's run gave the Bobcats a 21-12 lead with eleven minutes remaining in the first half.
However, UAV had a run of their own in them and they scored nine unanswered to tie the game before Fears broke the Bobcats five-minute scoring drought to put his team back in front 24-21. The Bobcats also led 26-23 with two minutes left but UAV ended the final 120 seconds strong and carried a 31-26 lead into intermission.
Head coach Kevin Pham's squad was within four points at 38-34 less than four minutes into the second half with the help of an Ajiake three-pointer before falling behind by double figures at 44-34 two minutes later.
The deficit reached 14 points with 11:24 to go and the Bobcats cut it to single digits at 51-42 shortly after, but couldn't get any closer than nine points the rest of the way.
The Bobcats stayed within striking distance before UAV made one final push extending a 60-49 lead with five minutes left to 20 points at 69-49 with 2:27 to go. An Ajiake three-point play and a Fears three-pointer then put the Bobcats down by 14 at 69-55 with 90 seconds left before ultimately falling 73-55.
UC Merced finished the game shooting 31% from the floor and 25% from beyond the arc.
The Bobcats did win the turnover battle forcing 19 UAV miscues and held the Pioneers to just two three-pointers, but were outrebounded 42-29.
Stay up to date with UC Merced men's basketball in the offseason by visiting ucmercedbobcats.com and following the Bobcats on social media @ucmercedmbb.
