NAMPA, Idaho – The University of California, Merced men's basketball team couldn't withstand a red-hot Northwest Nazarene offense and fell 91-67 to the Nighthawks on Saturday afternoon in the season opener.
Elijah Charles led the Bobcats (0-1) with 16 points on 66% (6-9) shooting to go along with five rebounds. The Bobcats senior forward has made at least half of his field goal attempts in ten straight games dating back to last season.
Jaden Hubbard scored 13 points and recorded two steals in his collegiate debut. Hubbard became the first Bobcat freshman since 2022 to score double-digits in his first career game. His 13 points rank third on the Bobcats all-time list for a debut performance. Hubbard hit three triples and converted all four of his free throw attempts. He also had two steals.
Sterling McClanahan added eleven points and four rebounds in his Bobcats debut.
Pawllos Habtom finished with six points and five rebounds, while Austin Dewes had five points, three assists, and two blocks.
Other notables include four rebounds each from Jon Taylor and Jordan Bateman and two steals from Blake Hudson.
UC Merced never led in the game and fell behind by double figures as early as 18-8 just over five minutes in. The Bobcats stayed within 14 points in the first half and cut the deficit to single digits on a pair of occasions, including inside of 90 seconds with a Taylor three-pointer. However, Northwest Nazarene hit a triple of their own before the halftime buzzer and led the Bobcats 43-31 at intermission.
The Nighthawks opened the second half strong with a 13-1 run to open up their advantage to 20+ points. Northwest Nazarene led 70-40 midway through the second half on their way to victory.
NNU shot a blistering 61% (8-13) from three in the second half and finished the night shooting 56% from downtown and 53% from the field overall.
Saturday's game was the first under head coach Gary Stewart. Taylor earned his first career start for UC Merced. Aaron Kullar, Khoi Nguyen, and Josh Goodall made their collegiate debut.
Looking ahead, UC Merced will host Pacific Union College for the home opener on Tuesday, November 18 at 7:00pm inside the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium in Merced, Calif.
