MERCED, Cal. – UC Merced (4-0) beat No. 12 Oregon Tech (5-1) 79-62 Saturday night in Merced, California, dealing the Hustlin' Owls their first loss of the season.  
 
"We got beat by a team tougher and more together than us," said Head Coach Justin Parnell. "The lack of made shots and missed defensive assignments are not why we lost this game. The best thing about a team sport is that you always have an opportunity to fix things as a unit and that's what we will do."
 
Merced gained the lead early in the game, with a 16-point advantage at the end of the first half. The Owls pushed back in the second stanza, but couldn't cut into the lead falling by 17-points.
 
Sophomore Garret Albrecht brought in 11 rebounds for the Owls and made scored 13-points to lead the Owls in both categories for a double-double. Harrison Steiger and Scotty Burge netted 12 and 8 points, respectively in a losing effort.
 
Tech led in rebounding with a 45-37 advantage.
 
The Bobcats dominated with long range shots, scoring 9 out of 22 compared to 3-of 23 by the Hooter. .
 
The Hustlin' Owls will remain in California to play Pacific Union in Angwin on Sunday. Listen live on 92-5 KLAD-FM starting at 6:30 pm with the Justin Parnell Coaches Show.  
 
FOLLOW OREGON TECH ATHLETICS
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube