MERCED, Calif. – The University of California, Merced men's basketball team will host Westcliff (Jan. 30/7:30pm) and La Sierra (Feb. 1/8:30pm) this week in a battle for first place in the California Pacific Conference.
UC Merced (12-5, 3-0) and Westcliff (8-5, 3-0) both come in without a blemish in league action, while the Golden Eagles (3-17, 2-1) have won two straight.
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Thursday night's game will be a "Gold Out" with all fans encouraged to wear gold clothing. The first 150 fans to the doubleheader will get a gold T-Shirt. The doubleheader begins at 5:30pm with the women's basketball game. Saturday is a "Black Out" with the first 100 fans to the doubleheader receiving a foam finger. Purchase tickets here.
OPENING TIP
UC Merced enters the week on a six-game winning streak, tied for the second longest in program history. This is the third consecutive year with a six-game winning streak and it's the fifth overall for UC Merced since 2012-13. The longest winning streak is nine games from March 18-April 25, 2021.
UC Merced is 3-0 in Cal Pac play for the third consecutive season and with two wins this week can be 5-0 for the second straight year.
The Bobcats return home this week for two games and will play at the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium four times in their next five games.
UC Merced is 5-1 at home this season with four straight home wins. Also of note, the Bobcats are 19-6 in their last 25 home games and 37-13 in their last 50.
The Bobcats are most recently coming off an 80-74 road win at Simpson. Cameron Brown led the Bobcats with 30 points while also leading the team with six rebounds and two steals. Jaron Mertle and Aidan Sevilla had 14 and 13 points, respectively. UC Merced shot .643 from three-point range, its best mark since February 20, 2020.
Brown was named the California Pacific Conference Offensive Player of the Week on Monday, giving the Bobcats a program-record five weekly award winners this season.
The Bobcats are in the middle of a ten-game California Pacific Conference schedule, playing five opponents in a home-and-home series. This will be the Bobcats final season in the Cal Pac before joining the CCAA as a NCAA Division II member.
UC Merced had a program-record nine nonconference wins. Prior to this season, the Bobcats record was eight nonconference wins in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 season.
UC Merced played five nonconference games against NCAA Division II competition this season and finished 3-2. UC Merced's wins include Stanislaus State, Fresno Pacific, and Menlo College. Prior to beating Menlo on November 15, the Bobcats last NCAA Division II win was 76-68 over Dominican in 2019. All-time, UC Merced is 5-3 under head coach Kevin Pham against NCAA Division II members.
BOBCATS PLAY DEFENSE
The Bobcats are currently ranked fifth nationally allowing just 62.4 points per game. If the Bobcats finish top five, this would mark the third consecutive season as one of top five defenses in the NAIA. UC Merced ranked fourth each of the last two seasons, allowing just 59.7 PPG last year and 62.7 PPG in 2022-23. The 59.7 opponents PPG stands as the program-record. The Bobcats also ranked first in opponents field goal percentage (.372) and opponents three-point field goal percentage (.283) last season.
UC Merced has held seven of its last ten opponents under 40% from the field, winning all seven of those games. Overall, the Bobcats are 8-2 in their last ten when holding opponents under 40% and 42-8 in their last 50 dating back to 2021-22.
Since 2019-20, head coach Kevin Pham's led defenses have held opponents under 60 points 49 times and the Bobcats are 45-4 when doing so. In the middle of that stretch was a 29-game winning streak when holding teams under 60. In the same span, UC Merced is 29-4 holding opponents under 55 points and are 15-3 when holding the opposition under 50.
On four occasions this season, UC Merced has snapped an opponents offensive streak:
UC Merced held Montana Tech to 42 points. Prior, the Orediggers had scored at least 50 points in 109 consecutive games.
UC Merced held UC Santa Cruz to 51 points. Prior, the Banana Slugs scored 55+ points in 20 consecutive games.
UC Merced held Cal Maritime to 54 points. Prior, Cal Maritime had scored 55+ in 30 straight games.
UC Merced held The Master's to 60 points. Prior, TMU had scored more than 60 points in 66 consecutive games.
For the first time, the California Pacific Conference is naming an offensive player of the week and a defensive player of the week. Elijah Charles earned the first two defensive weekly honors, while Jaron Mertle earned the distinction on December 9 and Austin Dewes was selected for the honor on December 16. The Bobcats four weekly award winners tied the program's single-season record from the 2020-21 campaign. With Cameron Brown's Cal Pac Offensive Player of the Week nod earlier this week, the Bobcats now have a program-record number of weekly award winners this season.
FOR THE LOVE OF NUMBERS
UC Merced has won 31 consecutive games when scoring 80 points or more and have reached that mark on six occasions this season.
The Bobcats are slashing .497/.387/.732 in victories compared to .363/.292/.722 in defeats.
UC Merced is outrebounding opponents by an average of ten per game. There have been six occasions this year in which the Bobcats outrebounded the opponent by 15 or more. The biggest rebounding margin was +33 against Lincoln on December 7.
UC Merced outrebounded three straight opponents by 13+ rebounds (Stanton, Menlo, Jessup) for the first time since December 1-4 in 2022.
UC Merced is 13-2 in its last 15 games dating back to last season when winning the turnover battle. The Bobcats are 5-0 this season, winning the turnover battle against Stanton, Lincoln, Nobel, UC Santa Cruz, and Simpson.
Since the start of the 2022-23 season, the Bobcats are 42-8 when outrebounding the opponent and are 9-3 this season when doing so.
Elijah Charles and Jaron Mertle have combined for five double-double's this year. Charles vs. Menlo (14 points, 12 rebounds) and Lincoln (21 points, 10 rebounds) and Mertle vs. Stanton (14 points, 11 rebounds), Menlo (12 points, 12 rebounds), and Lincoln (11 points, 10 rebounds).
Three Bobcats are shooting at least 50% from the field, three Bobcats are shooting at least 40% from three-point land, and three are over 80% from the charity stripe.
Individually, Elijah Charles is ranked 1st in the NAIA with a .754 field goal percentage (43-57). Charles has made 17 shots in a row dating back to December 5. However, Charles hasn't suited up the last four games.
UC Merced had a four-game winning streak from November 23-December 7, where the Bobcats combined to shoot 54% from the field and shot at least 48% in all four games. It marked the first time the Bobcats put together four straight games shooting 48% or better since a stretch in the 2019-20 season.
The Bobcats entered the year with three fifth-year seniors in Josiah Ajiake, Tiler Fears, and Jaron Mertle. The trio have combined to play in 259 career games with their first year with the program being in the shortened 2020-21 season.
The Bobcats have either led or been tied at halftime in 14 of their 17 games. The Bobcats are 11-3 in such games. UC Merced has one win this season when trailing at halftime which was against Menlo College, when the Bobcats trailed 30-18 at halftime before coming back to win 64-57. It marked the biggest second half comeback away from Merced since December 28, 2018.
The Bobcats have shown their depth this season as nine different players have either led the Bobcats in scoring or finished second on the team in scoring.
Games finishing as the top scorer: Cameron Brown (8), Elijah Charles (2), Jayson Wiltz (2), Jaron Mertle (1), Wiltz/Mertle (1), Brown/Pawllos Habtom (1), Brown/Wiltz (1), Aidan Sevilla/Habtom (1)
Games finishing as second leading scorer: Wiltz (4), Charles (3), Brown (3), Mertle (2), Fears (1), Habtom (1), Haynes (1), Sevilla (1), Wiltz/Dewes (1)
Eight Bobcats have scored in double figures this year.
UC Merced opened the season making 20+ free throws in back-to-back games. It marked just the fourth occurrence in program history reaching that output in consecutive games as it also happened once last season, once in 2014-15, and once in 2011-12.
CAL PAC RANKINGS
Cameron Brown is tied for first in the Cal Pac averaging 15.9 points per game and is top five in free throw percentage (2nd/.857) and steals per game (T-2nd/1.5). Also, he is tenth with 73 rebounds and 32 assists.
Elijah Charles is leading the Cal Pac with a 75% shooting mark and 7.5 rebounds per game.
Jaron Mertle leads all Cal Pac players with 118 total rebounds and is third with 6.9 rebounds per game. He is also fifth with a .544 field goal percentage.
Aidan Sevilla, who has 4+ assists in a career-best three straight games, is first in the Cal Pac with 60 assists and 3.5 assists per game. Sevilla had also made five consecutive three-pointers and is shooting 80% from three since January 2.
Jayson Wiltz ranks second with 31 three-point field goals and is fourth with a .413 three-point field goal percentage.
Tiler Fears is first with an .878 free throw percentage. That mark is good for 32nd in the NAIA.
Austin Dewes is second in the Cal Pac with 16 total blocks and 0.9 blocks per game.
Charles, Mertle, and Myles Haynes are tied for third with nine blocks.
Pawllos Habtom is tied for ninth with 16 steals.
UC Merced is first in scoring defense (62.4 PPG), first in field goal percentage (46.3%), and first in three-point field goal percentage (36.4%). The Bobcats rank second with 37.8 RPG, 13.0 APG, and 3.2 BPG.
LEADING THE CHARGE
Head coach Kevin Pham is in his tenth season leading the Bobcats and has a 131-104 career record. He is 86-45 since the start of the 2019-20 season. Pham is assisted by Jaylen Wiltz, Moses Oceguera, and Jonah Cottrell.
IN THE RECORD BOOKS (UC MERCED ALL-TIME)
Cameron Brown just moved into the program's No. 4 spot on the all-time scoring list on Saturday with 842 career points, passing Cole Taira. He has a chance to move up the all-time assists and steals list this week, needing six assists to pass George Idehen for sixth with 133 career assists and needing four steals to pass Mitch Flores for fifth with 95 career steals. Brown is also ranked second with an .838 free throw percentage, third with 11.5 PPG, fourth with 305 made field goals and 44 double figure scoring games, fifth with 1.2 steals per game, sixth with a .459 field goal percentage, seventh with a .353 three-point field goal percentage, and tenth with 57 career starts.
Cameron Brown is just eight games removed from scoring a school-record 39 points, breaking the record of 36 that was previously held by Brown and Aki Chambers. Brown made 17-24 field goals and all four of his free throw attempts. He knocked down one triple. His record-breaking performance came against Lincoln on December 7. The junior also grabbed a season-high nine rebounds and recorded three steals in the Bobcats biggest nonconference margin of victory since October 28, 2017.
Jaron Mertle is closing in on the program's all-time rebounding record. He heads into the homestand ranked third on the all-time list with 614 career rebounds and is chasing the all-time record currently held by Kingsley Obiorah (638 rebounds). At his current 6.9 RPG mark, he can break the record in the home game (or faster) against Cal Maritime on February 8. Mertle is also fourth all-time with 54 blocks. Offensively, Mertle is ranked fourth with a .502 field goal percentage, sixth with a .359 three-point field goal percentage, and tenth with 107 assists. He is also third with 14 double-double's and fourth with 74 career starts.
Tiler Fears is fifth in program history with 143 career assists and is sixth with 174 free throws made. Next time he steps on the court, Fears will pass Aaron Laflin and Kingsley Obiorah for seventh in program history with 94 career games played.
Jayson Wiltz is currently sixth in program history with 94 career three-pointers and is on track to become the sixth player in program history to make 100+ triples . The senior is also second with a .393 three-point field goal percentage.
Myles Haynes is eighth in program history with a .457 career field goal percentage.
Austin Dewes has cracked the top list with 22 career blocks.
STARTING FIVE
Cameron Brown, Jaron Mertle, and Jayson Wiltz have started all 17 games for UC Merced and they combine to average 32.9 PPG, 13.4 RPG, 4.0 APG, and 2.6 SPG.
The Bobcats have used the same starting lineup four games in a row, and the lineup (Sevilla/Brown/Wiltz/Ajiake/Mertle) is 4-0. In a stretch earlier this season, UC Merced primarily used the lineup of Sevilla/Brown/Wiltz/Mertle/Charles, which played to a 5-1 record.
HISTORIC STRETCH
UC Merced put together a historic four-game winning streak from November 23-December 7. The first three wins in the stretch marked the Bobcats first ever wins against its opponents, while the fourth win saw UC Merced score a program-record 117 points.
The run started with an 86-83 overtime win at Stanislaus State. UC Merced's win over Stan State was the first in school history for any sport. Stan State is the closest four-year university in proximity to UC Merced and the two foes will be conference members beginning in the 2025-26 season. The Bobcats overcame an eight-point deficit inside of six minutes to force overtime and eventually win the game.
A week later, UC Merced knocked off Fresno Pacific University for the first time in ten tries with a dominant 71-51 road win. The 20-point margin of victory was the largest ever against a NCAA Division II team. The Bobcats outrebounded the Sunbirds by 20, their biggest rebounding advantage in a road game since April 7, 2021.
The Bobcats returned home to host No. 7 The Master's University on December 5 and earned their first ever win over a top 10 opponent, beating the Mustangs 76-60. The Bobcats turned in a great defensive outing, snapping TMU's 66-game streak of scoring 60+ points. Offensively, five Bobcats scored in double figures. With the win, 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.
After three program-first wins, the Bobcats made more history as they scored a program-record 117 points in a 117-72 win over Lincoln. The Bobcats also finished with a program-record .641 field goal percentage in the victory. Cameron Brown scored a school-record 39 points finishing 17-24 from the field, while Elijah Charles also made program history becoming the first ever Bobcat to go 10-10 from the floor in a game. Charles finished with 21 points and notched a double-double with ten rebounds.
ANYTIME, ANYWHERE
In the January 27 NAIA Men's Basketball RPI Release, UC Merced's strength of schedule was ranked No. 2 in the country. Only NAIA opponents count for the strength of schedule ranking and four of the seven NAIA opponents head coach Kevin Pham's squad has played are currently ranked Top 10 in the NAIA Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll: The Master's (#5), Montana Tech (#9), Arizona Christian (#10). UC Merced played TMU twice, including beating them 76-60 when they were ranked seventh in the nation. Of the five NCAA Division II opponents the Bobcats played on the road, two of them are ranked in the top of their conference, including Stan State and Menlo College.
SCOUTING WESTCLIFF
Westcliff is 8-5 on the year and are 3-0 in Cal Pac play most recently coming off a 78-71 win over Cal Maritime on January 25. Westcliff is averaging 74.4 PPG overall, but have gone over that mark in each of its last two games.
Head coach Jerred Cook is in his fifth season leading the Warriors and has a record of 52-36, including 38-18 in Cal Pac play. Cook led Westcliff to a Cal Pac Tournament Championship in 2022-23 and is looking to lead his squad to a third straight tournament berth. Familiar with the NAIA, Cook played two years for Bellevue University in Nebraska, helping his team reach the national tournament both times.
Micaiah Hankins has been the Warriors leader throughout the year and is currently third in the Cal Pac with 13.4 PPG. He is also one of the top all-around players in the league tied for first with 3.5 APG, tied for fifth with 1.4 SPG, and is ninth with 5.0 RPG.
Rayven Turner is the Cal Pac's fifth best scorer with 12.8 PPG and supports his scoring efforts by being ranked second with 7.2 RPG. An efficient shooter, Turner is fifth with 24 triples, sixth with a .407 three-point field goal percentage, and fifth with an 80.4 free throw percentage.
Evan Hoosier leads the Cal Pac with 1.8 blocks per game and is top five in field goal percentage (.650/2nd) and RPG (6.4/5th). However, in three Cal Pac games, Hoosier is averaging 16 PPG shooting 79% to go along with 8.3 RPG.
Aaron Strings (9.6 PPG/1.2 SPG) and Marques Sales (8.1 PPG/.574 FGP) are also players to watch.
As a team, Westcliff ranks second in the Cal Pac in both scoring (74.4 PPG) and scoring defense (72.2 PPG). They are first with 37.9 RPG, 4.1 BPG, and second with a 45.5 FGP and 7.5 SPG.
Westcliff is 4-4 all-time against UC Merced.
Thursday marks Westcliff's first true road game since December 6, a 79-64 loss to BenU. Westcliff is 2-3 overall on the road this year, beating Life Pacific twice.
Westcliff is on a five-game winning streak overall.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES
La Sierra University is 3-17 on the year and 2-1 in Cal Pac play most recently coming off a 79-58 win over Pacific Union College. The Golden Eagles 79 points marked a season-high, as overall they are averaging 60.5 PPG. They have scored 75+ in back-to-back games, winning both contests.
Head coach Ethan Lowe is in his third season leading the Golden Eagles and has a record of 17-61, including 15-29 in Cal Pac action. Lowe guided his squad to a Cal Pac Tournament berth last season. Prior to La Sierra, he was an assistant coach at Hope International University.
La Sierra doesn't have any players averaging double figures, but Maur Tablada leads five players averaging at least seven points with 8.6 PPG. A three-level scorer, Tablada is shooting 35% from downtown.
Mark Boland averages 7.5 PPG and ranks fourth in the Cal Pac with 27 three-point field goals. He has combined for seven triples in the last three games.
Anthony Montoya is third in the league with 3.2 assists per game and fifth with 24 three-pointers, while Noel Camejo is at 7.7 PPG while maintaining a 44.4 three-point field goal percentage which is second in the Cal Pac.
Alex Archer (8.3 PPG/1.5 SPG) and David Odinigwe (7.4 PPG/3.9 RPG) are also players to watch.
As a team, the Golden Eagles are second in the Cal Pac with 140 three-pointers, third with a 32.6 3-PT FG %, third with 2.1 BPG, and third with 77.1 PPG allowed.
La Sierra is 7-17 all-time against UC Merced.
La Sierra, who begins a two-game road trip at Simpson tonight, is 0-13 on the road this season.
