MERCED, Calif. – The University of California, Merced men's basketball team fought back from a second half double-digit deficit to beat Stanislaus State 60-59 on Thursday night inside the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium.
The Bobcats (5-10, 3-8) trailed by 15 points with eleven minutes left in the game before using a 25-9 run the rest of the way to win their second straight conference game. UC Merced held Stanislaus State scoreless for the final four minutes and a game-ending 9-0 run got the job done. Elijah Charles hit go-ahead free throws with a minute left to put the Bobcats up 60-59, helping the Bobcats beat their rival for the second year in a row.
The Bobcats second-half comeback was their biggest since December 28, 2018.
Charles led the Bobcats with 21 points, a season-high tying 13 rebounds, and a career-high four blocks. Thursday night marked his second straight 20-point double-double and his third of the year. Overall, it was sixth double-double performance this season. He moved into a tie with Aaron Laflin and Derek E'denchukwu for fifth in program history with eight career double-doubles. Charles shot 72% (8-11) from the floor and 83% (5-6) from the foul line.
Sterling McClanahan had 16 points on 60% (3-5) shooting from the three-point line to go along with a season-high seven rebounds. He was 87% (7-8) at the foul line in his third consecutive double-figure scoring effort. Inside of two minutes, McClanahan buried a 30-foot triple to bring the Bobcats within a point at 59-58.
Cyprus Graham finished with ten points, four rebounds, and two assists. He also had two steals, including stealing an inbounds pass with five minutes left for a breakaway one-handed slam that kept the Bobcats rolling. He shot 57% (4-7) from the floor.
Myles Haynes added six points and a steal. Pawllos Habtom grabbed seven rebounds and collected two steals, while Jon Taylor had four points and two steals.
Stanislaus State led for the first five minutes of the game before a Charles second-chance basket gave the Bobcats their first lead of the game at 9-8. The Bobcats were either ahead or tied for the next eight minutes, including owning a two-possession lead at 17-13 after a Graham triple from the corner. Stanislaus State reclaimed the lead at 23-20 inside of seven minutes and extended its lead to as many as eleven points, 38-27 five minutes later. The Warriors lead was 40-30 at intermission.
McClanahan got to the foul line on two of the Bobcats first three possessions of the second half and made all four foul shots to bring the Bobcats within six points. 40-34. However, Stanislaus State held the Bobcats without a field goal for the first nine minutes of the second half which allowed the Warriors to eventually build their game-high 15-point lead, 50-35.
Graham got the Bobcats offense going again with a jumper and then McClanahan splashed a three shortly after. The Bobcats 5-0 spurt turned into a 10-0 run over a four-minute stretch to make it a 50-45 game with seven minutes to go. Charles had four points in the run.
After a few minutes of back-and-forth action, the Bobcats trailed 59-51 with four minutes left.
UC Merced owned the final four minutes, holding the Warriors scoreless and ending the night with a game-winning 9-0 run. Charles scored the first bucket which was followed by two McClanahan free throws. After more defensive stops, McClanahan connected on his 30-footer to make it a 59-58 game with 90 seconds on the clock.
On the next possession after a series of dribble-handoffs and the shot clock winding down, Taylor threw it up over the defense to Charles who was fouled and granted two shots. He sunk them both, ultimately winning the game for UC Merced.
After a missed shot by both teams, Stanislaus State had the ball for a final chance to win the game. The Warriors would earn a trip to free throw line on an offensive rebound putback attempt with 1.1 seconds left. With Bobcat Nation making a whole lot of noise, Stanislaus State came up empty at the line and Charles grabbed the rebound to secure the victory.
UC Merced limited Stanislaus State to just 32.8% from the floor all night, the Warriors lowest field goal percentage in a CCAA game since February 1, 2025.
The Bobcats also held the Warriors to just three three-pointers and won the turnover battle for the second game in a row.
Up next, UC Merced will play at Stanislaus State on Saturday, January 24. Tipoff inside Ed & Bertha Fitzpatrick Arena is scheduled for 3:00pm in Turlock, Calif.
