MERCED -- Cal State LA's men's basketball team saw its California Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament hopes dashed on Thursday night after a loss at UC Merced.

The Golden Eagles, the 2024 CCAA Tournament champions, dropped their fifth straight decision, 86-69, to the Bobcats on the Greg and Cathie Hostetler Court. Cal State LA (7-18, 6-13 CCAA) fell behind by 11 points by halftime and was unable to turn things around in the second half.

Isaiah Fields had a team-high 16 points for the Golden Eagles, while Michael Pearson Jr. had 12 points and Jordan Hansen had 11 points.

Elijah Charles had 36 points and 16 rebounds for UC Merced (10-13, 8-11 CCAA), while Cyprus Graham had 20 points.

Deraje Agbaosi had 10 points and Donovan Vickers had seven points for the Golden Eagles.

Cal State LA shot 41.9 percent for the game (26-of-62) and was 9-of-28 from 3-point range. The Golden Eagles were 8-of-14 from the free-throw line. UC Merced shot 55.9 percent (33-of-59) and was 4-of-13 from 3-point range and 16-of-20 from the free-throw line. UC Merced had a 40-23 rebounding edge and committed 18 turnovers to 16 for Cal State LA.

The Golden Eagles got a game-opening 3-pointer from Pearson Jr. and later took a 17-14 lead after another 3-pointer by Pearson Jr., but UC Merced went on an 8-0 run and never relinquished the lead. The Golden Eagles cut a 13-point deficit to seven points, 40-33, after a 3-pointer from Connor Scales, but still trailed 44-33 at halftime.

Cal State LA got to within six points at 44-38 following a layup from Khemanni Davis, but the Bobcats responded with a 18-4 run to take a 20-point lead with 12:32 remaining and maintained a double-digit margin the rest of the way.

Cal State LA will return to action on Saturday with a road game at Stanislaus State.