MERCED, Calif. - The No. 25 University of California, Merced women's basketball team toppled Pacific Union College 79-55 on Saturday night inside the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium.
The Bobcats (18-5, 6-2) 20+ point win was the fourth of it's kind during conference play and tenth in the 2018-19 season.
UC Merced was led by Mia Belvin, who poured in 14 of her game-high 22 points in the third quarter. The all-around threat also came up with six rebounds and a pair of steals.
Senior Mia Shannon notched her second consecutive double-double with a 15 point, 10 rebound effort. Shannon's night gets her closer to the all-time rebounding record, currently held by Brittany Martinez at 584. Shannon has 565 career rebounds after tonight's game.
Aubrey Hayes pitched in 13 points, including nine via the long ball in the second quarter, while Haylee Owen had six points and a career-high seven assists.
Rainah Smith got the Bobcats on the board first with a hustle play, grabbing an offensive rebound and drawing contact on the way back up. She sunk both free throws, as did Mia Shannon 90 seconds later to account for four of the team's 22 converted free throws on the night.
Trailing 7-6 midway through the first quarter, Hayes scored a second-chance basket to jump back in front. That lead change was one of ten in the opening ten minutes. The final lead change of the quarter came courtesy of a Shelby Bohlmann triple, turning an 11-9 deficit into a 12-11 lead. The three-point make also was the final lead change the rest of the game.
Owen gave the Bobcats a 14-11 lead with a pull up jumper as the first quarter clock hit triple zeros.
UC Merced more than doubled their lead in the first 90 seconds of the second period by going on a 6-0 run. Shannon had four of the six points, while Gabriella Edmond sunk a pair of free throws.
Two possessions later, Hayes extended her three-point field goal streak to nine games to put her team up 23-14. The streak is tied for the longest in her career.
Hayes added two more triples in the next two minutes and the Bobcats led by as many as 17 points, 40-23, before halftime.
The Bobcats wasted no time extending their lead out of intermission, taking the ball to rack and drawing three fouls within the first two and a half minutes. All fouls were shooting fouls, and Shannon and Belvin combined to make five of the six free throws to widen the margin to 20 points. Less than four minutes in, the Bobcats were up by 22, 49-27.
Eight of Belvin's 14 third quarter points came from the field with the other six coming at the charity stripe.
Towards the end of the quarter, Owen added a pair of free throws of her own to give the Bobcats their largest lead of the night at 63-39.
Although a few points were shaved off the 20+ point lead down the stretch, the Bobcats still led by at least 18 points for the entire fourth quarter.
The Pioneers final basket came with 3:46 left on the clock (73-55). From that point on, the Bobcats limited Pacific Union to just four shots and forced three turnovers.
The Bobcats also scored three times before the final horn, all coming off of turnovers or second chance opportunities.
The Bobcats 79 points improves UC Merced to 13-1 all-time under Hopkins-Chery when scoring 75 or more.
Overall, UC Merced shot 35% (26-73) from the field, 27% (5-18) beyond the arc and 84% (22-26) at the charity stripe.
Other notables include the Bobcats out rebounding their opponent 57-27.
Besides Shannon's ten boards, Smith had eight and three other players had at least six.
UC Merced's win marked their tenth straight over Pacific Union dating back to 2014.
Up next, the Bobcats take on Benedictine University at Mesa on Thursday, January 31, at Heap Gymnasium in Mesa, Ariz. Tip-off is slated for 5:30pm PST.
