Tuesday, February 24
Santa Cruz, Ca.
6:00 PM
UC Santa Cruz Athletics
14-10,0-0C2C
52
vs
76
University of Mary Washington
22-3,0-0C2C
1
2
F
Mary Washington
45
31
76
UC Santa Cruz
26
26
52
Slugs Fall to Eagles in Regular Season Finale
2/24/2026 9:46:00 PM | Men's Basketball
SANTA CRUZ, Ca. – The UC Santa Cruz men's basketball team ended the regular season with a 76-52 loss to the University of Mary Washington Eagles. Joseph Espy led the team with 13 points and six boards. UCSC will be back in action on Friday evening at 6pm when they host CNU in the C2C Conference Semifinal.
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How It Happened
The Eagles jumped out to an early 5-0 lead with a three and a jumper, but Caden Breznikar brought the run to an end with a layup in response. A three from Hunter Kennedy later cut the lead to 7-5 but the Eagles countered with a 9-4 run to extend their lead to 16-9 with 13:21 left in the first half. UMW continued to push forward, using a 10-4 advantage to go up 26-13 before Leo Wagner knocked down a three with 7:58 left in the half to cut the deficit to 10 points at 26-16. Mary Washington responded with a three of their own as they outscored UCSC 19-10 down the stretch, going into halftime leading 45-26. Joseph Espy and Ollie Miller accounted for the team's 10 points in that stretch with Espy recording seven.
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The Banana Slugs opened the second half with a quick 4-0 run with baskets from Hunter Kennedy and Joseph Espy to make it 45-30 just under a minute into the half. Mary Washington quickly worked back into their groove, outscoring UCSC 11-4 to go up 56-34. The Slugs countered with a 7-2 run as Ollie Miller, Leo Wagner, and Joseph Espy all scored to cut the deficit to 58-41 with 9:46 to play. Mary Washington responded with a 9-4 run to keep the pressure on, extending their lead to 67-45 with just under seven minutes remaining in the contest. Over the next three minutes, the two squads were nearly even with the Eagles holding a slight 7-6 edge with Miller, Wagner, and Teni Salako all scoring for UCSC. The Eagles added a layup with 1:39 on the clock to extend the lead to 25 points at 76-51. The Slugs recorded the final point with a free throw from Darren Naruse, but the Eagles earned the dominant 76-52 victory on Tuesday night.
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How It Happened
The Eagles jumped out to an early 5-0 lead with a three and a jumper, but Caden Breznikar brought the run to an end with a layup in response. A three from Hunter Kennedy later cut the lead to 7-5 but the Eagles countered with a 9-4 run to extend their lead to 16-9 with 13:21 left in the first half. UMW continued to push forward, using a 10-4 advantage to go up 26-13 before Leo Wagner knocked down a three with 7:58 left in the half to cut the deficit to 10 points at 26-16. Mary Washington responded with a three of their own as they outscored UCSC 19-10 down the stretch, going into halftime leading 45-26. Joseph Espy and Ollie Miller accounted for the team's 10 points in that stretch with Espy recording seven.
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The Banana Slugs opened the second half with a quick 4-0 run with baskets from Hunter Kennedy and Joseph Espy to make it 45-30 just under a minute into the half. Mary Washington quickly worked back into their groove, outscoring UCSC 11-4 to go up 56-34. The Slugs countered with a 7-2 run as Ollie Miller, Leo Wagner, and Joseph Espy all scored to cut the deficit to 58-41 with 9:46 to play. Mary Washington responded with a 9-4 run to keep the pressure on, extending their lead to 67-45 with just under seven minutes remaining in the contest. Over the next three minutes, the two squads were nearly even with the Eagles holding a slight 7-6 edge with Miller, Wagner, and Teni Salako all scoring for UCSC. The Eagles added a layup with 1:39 on the clock to extend the lead to 25 points at 76-51. The Slugs recorded the final point with a free throw from Darren Naruse, but the Eagles earned the dominant 76-52 victory on Tuesday night.
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Team Stats
UMW
UCSC
FG%
.500
.327
3FG%
.526
.143
FT%
.800
.567
RB
29
35
TO
15
20
STL
11
4
Game Leaders
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
9
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
Wing
/ Men's Basketball
Center/Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's BasketballForward
/ Men's Basketball
