REDDING, Calif. – Men's Basketball keeps the crowd in the James M. Grant Center on their feet until the final buzzer, but fall to UC Merced by two points.
 
The Red Hawks led for most of the first half, but the Bobcats drilled five triples while putting together a 15-4 run in the final 4 and a half minutes of the half. SU headed to the locker room trailing 37-29.
 
The Red Hawks were able to outscore the Bobcats in the second half with Nathan Presnell coming to life and scoring 12 of his team high 16 points in the second half. Presnell hit eight straight points for SU late in the second and cut the UC Merced lead to one point in the process.
 
It looked like the Red Hawks might complete the comeback but the Bobcats drilled a three pointer at the end of the shot clock to give them a four-point lead with 31 seconds on the clock.
 
Brycen Wight had another solid night for SU, coming off the bench and playing big minutes down the stretch. Wight added 11 points and six rebounds to the box score. Wight also bolstered the Simpson defense, contributing defensive stops that were key in giving the Red Hawks an opportunity to win the ball game.
 
Dylan Banks and Blake Trent added a 10 points and nine points apiece and pulled down a combined seven rebounds.
 
The loss to the Bobcats evens SU's conference record at 2-2. The Red Hawks look to add another conference win on Saturday as they travel to Angwin to take on Pacific Union College at 8:30 PM.