MERCED, Calif. - Junior guard Mia Belvin notched her seventh 20+ point scoring effort of the season but the No. 22 University of California, Merced women's basketball team had their program-long winning streak snapped by Simpson University, falling 71-63 on Saturday night inside the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium.
The Bobcats (16-4, 4-1) ten-game winning streak was tied for the longest winning streak ever by an active California Pacific Conference team.
Simpson opened the game with a triple but Aubrey Hayes answered back on the other end of the floor for one of four ties in the first quarter. With just under 90 seconds left in the period, Alyssa Ono broke a 10-10 tie with a make the foul line and Hayes followed with a triple to extend the early lead to 14-10.
Hayes' third three-point field goal of the night gave the Bobcats their largest lead at 21-14. Dating back to last season, the senior has sunk multiple shots from downtown in seven straight conference games.
Despite the 21-14 lead, the Bobcats entered the locker room trailing 32-28. Simpson shot 66% (6-9) from the floor and 80% (4-5) at the charity stripe in the last six minutes of the second quarter to turn their seven point deficit into a four point lead.
The Bobcats opened the second half with a stellar defensive effort, holding Simpson scoreless for nearly the first five minutes and were able to tie the game at 32 via four straight points from freshman Rainah Smith.
Smith's mini run was followed by back-to-back Simpson turnovers, however the Bobcats were unable to turn those extra possessions into points at the other end of the floor.
Once Simpson broke the 32-32 tie, the visitors led the rest of the night, including 47-42 at the end of the third quarter.
Trailing 54-48 with 7:49 to play, the Bobcats went on a 7-2 run to cut the deficit to 56-55 but that's as close as the game would get the rest of the night. Shelby Bohlmann had five of the Bobcats seven points during the quick 30 second run. Bohlmann also notched a steal during the burst.
Simpson led by ten points with just over two minutes to play. Ono made a pair of shots to get it down six points before Simpson hit two more free throws that finalized the scoring at 71-63.
Despite the loss, the Bobcats forced Simpson into 24 turnovers. Belvin played a key role in that statistic as she finished with a game-high five steals.
She also grabbed five rebounds and delivered four assists to along with her 21 point scoring effort.
Another Belvin notable includes shooting 100% (9-9) at the charity stripe.
Smith finished with ten points and six rebounds, while Hayes totaled nine points and a steal.
Bohlmann and Ono each pitched in seven points. Ono also had two blocks.
The Bobcats now set their sights on bouncing back from their first loss since December 1, beginning a Southern California road trip on Thursday in Riverside, Calif.
Tip-off against La Sierra University is slated for 5:30pm on January 17.
