Merced, Calif. - The Men's Basketball Team traveled to the San Joaquin Valley for back-to-back Cal Pac action in their conference season debut against the University of California, Merced (2-0). Unfortunately, the Golden Eagles were unable to overcome the Bobcats and lost both games on the road, 79-92 and 82-88 in overtime, respectively.
In the first half of the Thursday night matchup, DJ Everage put up a jump shot from the elbow for two, striking first for the Golden Eagles, but it would be their only lead of the night, as the Bobcats went up by 19 going into halftime (53-34).
In the second half, the Golden Eagles clawed their way back within 10, but it wouldn't be enough, as the Bobcats went up by 13 as the buzzer sounded, securing the victory, 92-79.
Uriel Lejtman ended the night with a game high of 20 points, adding six rebounds and three assists. Weston McKenney had 15 points and four assists, while both Duane Darrett Jr. and Marc Hall put up nine points apiece. The Golden Eagles shot 72% from the line and had 24 points off the bench.
Friday afternoon, only one day later, the second game of the series tipped off as Duane Darrett Jr. wasted no time grabbing an offensive board and putting it back up to get the Golden Eagles on the scoreboard first. Just over two minutes later, DJ Everage dished the ball to Uriel Lejtman in the corner for a trey ball, giving the Golden Eagles the lead (8-5), however, the Bobcats would go on a 5-0 run, until DJ Everage would find an open Uriel Lejtman again, this time on the wing for another trey ball, bringing the Golden Eagles back within two (13-15), with 14:00 on the clock. The Bobcats went up by six with just under 10 minutes left in the half, but the Golden Eagles stayed focused and tied it up, 26-26 with a trey ball from Duane Darrett Jr., off a quick dish from Uriel Lejtman, with seven minutes until the half. The Golden Eagles then played strong defense, holding the Bobcats scoreless for almost two minutes, with a score of 33-30, but the Bobcats hit a three going up by six to close out the half 33-36.
In the second half, Uriel Lejtman would find Duane Darrett Jr. on the wing once again for another trey ball, tying the game at 36 points apiece. Seconds later Uriel Lejtman stole the ball and sprinted back for two off the glass, giving the Golden Eagels the lead with 19:30 on the clock. One minute later, Uriel Lejtman drove in from the wing, going up strong for another two points off the glass. The Golden Eagles and Bobcats would continue to go, one for one, for the next few minutes of play. With 12 minutes left in regulation, Marc Hall went coast to coast for a smooth layup, 54-52. The Golden Eagles then got a stop on defense and were able to set-up their offense on the other end, which resulted in a fadeaway jumper from Ivan Egbunike and a 56-52 lead. The Bobcats came back and tied it up once again with 9:44 left to play. Continuing to battle, Ivan Egbunike found Dylan Damico in the key, who put up a hook shot for two points (59-57), followed by a big stop on defense, which Weston McKenney picked up and pushed to the wing for a trey ball, putting the Golden Eagles up 62-57, with 8:40 remaining. With six minutes left to play, the Golden Eagles and Bobcats battled through eight lead changes and four ties, ending regulation tied at 76-76 heading into overtime.
Five minutes was put on the clock and overtime began, as the Golden Eagles took a quick one point lead, which then gave way to the Bobcats going up by three. Duane Darrett Jr. answered back, hitting a trey ball and tying the game (80-80) with 2:55 to go, but the Bobcats pounced back with two unanswered field goals, forcing the Golden Eagles to foul with 18 seconds left in the game, sending the Bobcats to the line, where they extended their lead to finish, 88-82.
Forward, Uriel Lejtman said, "We did not have a great first half in the first game and that cost us, but on Friday we had a better attitude and we were more consistent on both ends [of the court]. If we continue to play with that energy, we will be a very difficult team to beat."
Duane Darrett Jr. recorded a double-double, with a game high 26 points, adding 10 rebounds and one steal. Uriel Lejtman had 16 points, five rebounds, three assists at two steals on the night. Marc Hall had 12 points and two steals, while Ivan Egbunike had 11 points, five rebounds, four blocks and two assists. DJ Everage had a game high, seven assists.
The Golden Eagles are now 0-2 in Conference play, 2-4 overall.
Next up, the Golden Eagles host Pacific Union College, April 3.
