POMONA, Calif. – The University of California, Merced men's basketball team fell 72-53 to Cal Poly Pomona on Saturday afternoon inside Kellogg Arena. The Bobcats fell to 9-13 overall and 7-11 in CCAA action.
Jaden Hubbard scored a team-high 14 points while shooting 100% (7-7) from the free throw line. Hubbard currently owns the highest free throw percentage by any Bobcat since 2014-15, shooting 91% (34-37) on the year. Hubbard filled the stat sheet with eight rebounds, three assists, one steal, and a block.
Pawllos Habtom recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and a career-high ten rebounds. An impressive seven of his ten rebounds came on the offensive glass.
Elijah Charles finished with 13 points, seven rebounds, three blocks, and a steal.
Jon Taylor had five points and five rebounds, four offensive boards. Sterling McClanahan also had five points and five rebounds. Austin Dewes hauled in four boards.
The Bobcats opened the game with two three-pointers in the first three minutes to grab a 6-4 lead but Cal Poly Pomona followed with a 9-0 run and remained in front the rest of the game.
Cal Poly Pomona led by double digits for the first time at 22-12 midway through the half before a strong series from Hubbard cut the deficit down to six points two minutes later. A three-point play from Charles, free throw shooting from Habtom, and a four-minute Bronco field goal drought kept the Bobcats within striking distance but the Bobcats would trail 37-25 at intermission.
UC Merced started the second half with a 6-0 spurt highlighted by a Hubbard three-point play, cutting the 12-point halftime deficit down to just two possessions less than four minutes in. The Broncos got three opportunities on their next possession and eventually scored their first points of the half out of the under-16 media timeout.
The Bobcats kept battling, but couldn't get any closer than six points and fell back behind by double digits at the 13:51 mark, 45-35. UC Merced's deficit reached 17 points midway through the period. Habtom scored the Bobcats next six points to stay in the fight while the Bobcats defense limited the Broncos to just two points in a four-minute stretch to get within 13 points, 59-46 with six minutes to go. Cal Poly Pomona ultimately closed the Bobcats comeback opportunity with a 7-0 burst to go up by 20, 66-46 with 3:36 left. The teams traded points the rest of the way as Cal Poly Pomona won the game to remain just a game back of a playoff spot with four games to go.
UC Merced grabbed a season-high tying 20 offensive rebounds but only managed six second chance points off the rebounding success. The Bobcats forced 16 turnovers but committed 19.
Up next, UC Merced will start its final homestand with Cal State LA coming to the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium on Thursday, February 19. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30pm.
