PRESCOTT, Ariz. - The No. 25 University of California, Merced women's basketball team suffered a 76-56 setback Saturday night to (RV) Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Arizona).
The Bobcats (19-6, 7-3) entered the contest attempting to set a new program record with 20 wins. A win would have also snapped the Eagles 15 game home-winning streak and gave the Bobcats an edge over the Eagles in the California Pacific Conference standings.
UC Merced came out of the gates on fire, sinking their first six shots and led 14-0 before an Eagles timeout.
The run started with back-to-back triples from Aubrey Hayes and Shelby Bohlmann. A bucket inside from Mia Shannon extended the Bobcats lead to 8-0, while Bohlmann pickpocketed the Eagles Allese Williams and turned it into a layup at the other end of the floor.
The final two field goals during the run came from Hayes and Mia Belvin. Belvin, who finished as the Bobcats leading scorer with 12 points, scored after recording a steal and in result the Eagles called timeout.
Embry-Riddle came out of the stoppage in play with a run of their own, tallying nine straight points to cut the Bobcats lead down to five, 14-9.
Kimiko Sato halted the Eagles run with a strong take to the basket, giving the senior two of her nine points on the night.
The Bobcats final make in the quarter came at the charity stripe but Embry-Riddle scored four straight after that to bring the score to 21-17 heading into the second quarter.
Three different Bobcats scored in the first two minutes of the second quarter and Sato had the Bobcats up 27-20 after finishing a play set up by Belvin.
UC Merced's lead narrowed to 29-27 with a quick Embry-Riddle burst. With the Bobcats up by two, an Eagles triple from Danae Ruiz put the host team out in front.
Although Sato tied the score at 32 with a three-point play in the halves final minute, UC Merced was never able to regain the lead and four straight points from the opponent's point guard had the Eagles on top 36-32 at intermission.
Embry-Riddle extended their lead to double figures a little more than three minutes into the second half, 43-32.
Shannon and Haylee Owen would get the Bobcats within nine points at 47-38 and 49-40.
UC Merced trailed 53-42 heading into the fourth quarter.
The closest the Bobcats got to the Eagles the rest of the night was 53-47, after a 5-0 run that consisted of a Belvin field goal out of a half court set and a Hayes triple following a pair of offensive rebounds.
From that point on, Embry-Riddle outscored the Bobcats 23-6 leading up to the final buzzer. 12 of those 23 Eagles points came from beyond the arc.
Despite the loss, the Bobcats clinched a postseason berth due to other outcomes around the league Saturday night. The postseason berth marks the fifth straight, the longest active by a Cal Pac school.
Other notables from Saturday night's game include ten points from Hayes and three assists from Belvin. Senior center Mia Shannon neared a double-double with eight points and nine rebounds, while Sato tallied nine points and grabbed four rebounds off the bench.
Up next, the Bobcats return home to host Cal Maritime Academy on Thursday, February 7. Tipoff is slated for 5:30pm inside the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium.
