MERCED, Calif. - The University of California, Merced women's basketball team forced 24 turnovers but fell to 22nd-ranked Menlo College, 62-53 Tuesday night inside the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium.
The Bobcats (4-5) home date was the first in 15 days, while the ranked opponent was the Bobcats second in the last five games and they are now 1-1 against Top-25 teams.
Haylee Owen led all scorers with 19 points and added three assists and two steals. The sophomore guard, who also had for rebounds and a block, has finished in double figures seven straight games.
Mia Belvin contributed ten points and a game-high four steals, while Deyliana Lewis and Gabriella Edmond were good for seven and six points off the bench, respectively. Rainah Smith grabbed a team-high seven rebounds. Andrea Rogers added a career-high four rebounds and three blocks in 16 second half minutes.
Lewis was the spark the Bobcats needed off the bench and accounted for the Bobcats first lead of the night after scoring seven straight points to turn an 11-6 deficit into a 13-11 advantage. Lewis was 100% (3-3) from the field during the stretch and highlighted the run with a three-point play in transition.
Menlo tied the game at 13 with two and a half minutes to play in the first quarter and the scoreline would read 16-16 at the end of the frame.
The Oaks scored four straight to open up the second and it was enough to keep the visitors in front for the majority of the quarter. Menlo went up by five at 25-20 before Owen shaved points of the Bobcats deficit and a second chance basket towards the end of the half tied the game at 27.
Owen drained another shot 90 seconds later and it had UC Merced up 30-29. However, that was the Bobcats final lead of the night and they found themselves down 32-30 at intermission due to a Nura Galmes 30-foot buzzer beating heave.
UC Merced managed to make just four field goals and a free throw in the third quarter. Three of the field goals came in a row that tied the game for the fourth and final time, 36-36 midway through the frame. Following the deadlock, Menlo closed the quarter on an 11-3 run with the help of its center and offensive rebound machine Courtney Perry. Perry finished with a double-double of 12 points and ten rebounds, seven offensive.
Head coach Sarah Hopkins-Chery's team went into the fourth quarter trailing 43-37 and the deficit quickly grew to eleven points as the Oaks made their first two shots and got a three-point play out of Kiara Brown.
UC Merced trailed 53-41 with just under six minutes remaining and by a game-high 14 points (60-46) with two minutes to play. The closest it got was 61-53 after Tiffany Nguyen buried a triple from the top of the arc.
All of the Bobcats fourth quarter points came by the way of the long ball or makes at the charity stripe. Edmond was 100% (4-4) from the foul line during the frame.
Overall, the Bobcats shot 32% (18-57) from the field, 24% (4-17) from downtown and 72% (13-18) at the line.
The field goal percentage rises to a 50% (9-18) after a Menlo turnover.
Other notables include 13 offensive rebounds and seven blocks. Aside from Rogers' three blocks, Owen, Belvin, Smith and Edmond each had one. Smith had five offensive rebounds.
Owen, Smith and Cierra McClain each recorded two steals.
Looking ahead, the Bobcats will return to action on Saturday, November 30 with a road tilt against Holy Names University. Tipoff from Oakland, Calif., is scheduled for 4:00pm inside Tobin Gymnasium.
