SANTA CRUZ, Calif. - The University of California, Merced men's basketball team took down UC Santa Cruz 75-51 on Friday night at KP Arena in the nonconference finale, earning the biggest win against the Banana Slugs in series history.

With the win, the Bobcats (9-5) set a program record with nine nonconference victories.

Jayson Wiltz led four Bobcats in double figures with a season-high 19 points on a blistering 83% (5-6) shooting percentage from beyond the arc.

Cameron Brown poured in 16 points shooting 72% (8-11) from the floor and took over sole possession of the No. 5 spot on the program's all-time scoring chart with 790 career points. He also recorded four rebounds, three steals, and two assists on Friday night. His three steals put him in a tie with Raphael "Cinco" Durr for seventh on UC Merced's all-time list with 85 career steals.

Blake Hudson added a career-high eleven points off the bench. The sophomore guard supported his offensive output with four rebounds, a block, and a steal.

Pawllos Habtom hit 80% (4-5) of his shots for a 10-point outing.

Other notables include seven rebounds and two steals from Jaron Mertle, a season-high tying five rebounds and a block for Austin Dewes, and two steals from Myles Haynes.

As a team defensively, UC Merced slowed down a UC Santa Cruz team that came in averaging nearly 80 points per game and handed them their most lopsided loss of the season. UC Merced forced 20 turnovers while limiting UCSC to just a .305 field goal percentage. UC Santa Cruz had scored at least 55 points in 20 consecutive regular season games dating back to last season before the Bobcats put an end to the streak.

UC Merced opened the game with five straight points and managed to push the lead up to nine points at 17-8 before the midway point of the first half. After UC Santa Cruz cut the Bobcats lead to four, Sevilla and Wiltz combined for three free throws to get the lead back up to three possessions.

Head coach Kevin Pham's team led by eight points at 26-18 inside of five minutes and maintained a lead of at least five points the rest of the half, leading 34-27 at intermission.

Wiltz hit a three-pointer to start the second half and gave the Bobcats their first ten-point lead of the night, 37-27. The Banana Slugs followed with back-to-back triples and then the two teams traded baskets for the next four minutes before a big UC Merced run.

Leading 45-38 with 14:48 left, Wiltz hit another three-pointer that sparked a 16-2 run over the next four minutes to go up by as many as 21 points. Hudson capped the run with the Bobcats in front 61-40. Wiltz hit two triples in the surge, while Habtom pitched in four points.

UC Merced led by at least 18 points the rest of the night and outscored UC Santa Cruz 41-24 overall in the second half. Down the stretch, UC Merced extended its advantage to a game-high 26 points, 73-47 after Wiltz's fifth and final triple of the contest.

Also of note, UC Merced held the Banana Slugs without a field goal for four different three-minute stretches in the second half, including the final 3:39 resulting in the 75-51 victory.

UC Merced finished the night shooting 48% from the field, 31% from downtown, and 70% from the charity stripe.

Looking ahead, UC Merced begins California Pacific Conference play at Cal Maritime on Thursday, January 16. Tipoff from the PEAC Main Gym in Vallejo, Calif., is scheduled for 7:30pm.