MERCED, Calif. – The University of California, Merced men's basketball team finished the first half of California Pacific Conference play without a blemish following a 71-64 win over La Sierra University on Saturday night inside the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium.
The Bobcats (14-5, 5-0) are 5-0 in the Cal Pac for the second straight season and the third time in the last five years. UC Merced is just the second Cal Pac team in the last decade with back-to-back 5-0 starts, joining former program University of Antelope Valley. Also of note, the Bobcats won their eighth consecutive game overall and are a win away from tying the program's longest winning streak all-time.
Jayson Wiltz led the Bobcats with a season-high 22 points while shooting 62% (5-8) from beyond the arc. It was his third career 20-point game, first of the season. Wiltz also notched a steal.
Cameron Brown finished the night with 15 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Brown, who has scored 10+ points in nine straight games, passed George Idehen for sixth in program history with 134 career assists.
Aidan Sevilla added eleven points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals in another well-rounded outing. He has scored in double digits while handing out at least three assists in all five Cal Pac games.
Jaron Mertle was the fourth Bobcat in double digits scoring ten points and hauling in seven rebounds. He made all three of his field goal attempts, including two three-pointers. With his efforts on the glass, Mertle moved ahead of Aaron Laflin for second all-time in program history with 628 career rebounds.
Josiah Ajiake also connected on both of his three-point attempts to go along with four rebounds and two assists. Myles Haynes notched a block and a steal.
UC Merced shot an impressive 55.6% (10-18) from beyond the arc as a team. The Bobcats finished 48% from the field and 60% from the foul line. Defensively, UC Merced held La Sierra under 40% from the floor and 30% from downtown, while also forcing 15 La Sierra turnovers.
The Bobcats ten triples marked the most in a Cal Pac game since February 15, 2024.
Head coach Kevin Pham's team never trailed on the night and led for the final 35 minutes.
Up 14-11 midway through the first half, Ajiake drilled a triple that sparked a 16-2 run over the next four minutes to put the Bobcats up 17 points. Wiltz hit two three-pointers in the run and capped it with five straight points of his own to put his team up 30-13 with five minutes left in the first half. Overall, the Bobcats held La Sierra scoreless for nearly four minutes.
UC Merced also led by 17 points inside of three minutes, 36-19, and then pushed the advantage to 20 points when Mertle connected from distance. The Bobcats held a 41-22 lead at intermission after shooting 55% from the floor and 70% (7-10) from deep in the opening 20 minutes, while also forcing 12 turnovers.
The Bobcats lead was back and forth between 15-19 points for the first eight minutes of the second half. From the 14:51 mark to the 10:30 mark, neither team made a field goal. UC Merced led by 15 points at the ten-minute mark, but La Sierra wouldn't go away and pieced together a 12-4 run to cut the Bobcats lead down to seven points with seven minutes remaining, 53-46.
UC Merced made sure the Golden Eagles didn't pull any closer. The Bobcats scored on its next two possessions to go up back by double digits and then when the margin was cut to eight points, Wiltz hit his fifth triple to make it 62-51 inside of three minutes.
UC Merced went up by as many as 12 points in the closing minute on their way to victory. La Sierra scored the last five resulting in the 71-64 final.
The Bobcats improved to 18-7 all-time against La Sierra, including winning five straight and 14 of the last 15 meetings.
Looking ahead, UC Merced will play at Pacific Union College on Thursday, February 6. Tipoff from the Pacific Auditorium in Angwin, Calif., is scheduled for 7:30pm.
