SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The Cal State San Marcos men's basketball team (10-9, 7-7 CCAA) fell 80-66 to UC Merced (7-11, 5-9 CCAA) following a second-half outburst by the Bobcats on Saturday afternoon at The Sports Center.

TOP PERFORMERS
Dexter Stratton – 20 points | 10 rebounds | 4-of-4 FT
Chris Carrillo – 9 points | 4 assists
Remington Rofer – 8 points | 1 rebound

HOW IT HAPPENED

• CSUSM opened with energy on both ends and traded early leads with UC Merced as the half featured four ties and six lead changes.
• CSUSM took a 31-29 lead into the halftime break after shooting 40.6% (13-of-32) from the field to UC Merced's 38.5% (10-of-26).
• UC Merced flipped the game early in the second half with an 8-0 run to go up 37-31 with 17:17 to go.
• The Bobcats made it a double-digit lead 60-50 following a dunk from E Charles with 7:54 to play.
• UC Merced closed the final eight minutes with a sustained push that extended the lead to as many as 22 before the Cougars finished with a late spurt to set the 80-66 final.
   

QUICK HITS

• UC Merced shot 51.8% (29-of-56) from the field and 50.0% (11-of-22) from three, while CSUSM shot 35.4% (23-of-65) overall and 20.8% (5-of-24) from beyond the arc.
• UC Merced won the rebounding battle, 40-31, and outscored CSUSM 35-22 in bench points.
• The Cougars forced 19 turnovers and scored 21 points off them, while UC Merced scored 19 points off CSUSM's 13 turnovers.
• CSUSM scored 34 points in the paint compared to UC Merced's 28.
• CSUSM went 15-of-18 (83.3%) at the free-throw line, while UC Merced finished 11-of-15 (73.3%).
• Stratton recorded his third double-double of the season with a team-leading 20 points and 10 boards.
   

UP NEXT
CSUSM will play the second half of its four-game homestand next weekend, beginning with Cal Poly Pomona (11-9, 6-8) on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.