MERCED, Calif. - The University of California, Merced women's basketball team set a program record on Thursday night with their 20th win of the season, beating Cal Maritime 50-33 inside the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium.
Under fourth year head coach Sarah Hopkins-Chery, the Bobcats (20-5, 7-3) have improved their win total each season and have the chance to add to it with three games left on the conference slate.
Senior Aubrey Hayes highlighted the Bobcats efforts with 18 points. Junior guard Mia Belvin added 12 points in 12 minutes of action and pitched in two steals on the defensive end.
Of their combined 30 points, 24 of them came in the first half to anchor the Bobcats to their fourth wire-to-wire win this season.
Belvin got the night started off with a triple and a second chance bucket from Rainah Smith had the Bobcats up 5-1.
After a successful Maritime field goal, the Bobcats scored seven straight points to extend their lead to nine, 12-3.
Belvin gave UC Merced their first double figure lead of the night towards the end of the quarter when she used a Haylee Owen pass to knock down one of her two triples on the night.
The junior also added a pair of free throws in the frame, while Kimiko Sato found the bottom of the net as the horn went off to give the Bobcats a 23-11 advantage after ten minutes of play.
UC Merced led by double figures the rest of the night.
Owen found Hayes for a three-point field goal to start the second quarter and Smith had UC Merced up 28-11 with a strong take to the basket.
However, it was the Bobcats defense that was a force to be reckoned with in the second quarter as the home team limited Cal Maritime to just three points on six percent (1-15) from the floor.
The lone bucket allowed came three and a half minutes into the quarter that cut the Bobcats lead to 28-13.
Following the make, the Bobcats responded with an 8-1 run and were up by 20 points as soon as the 4:24 mark in the quarter.
Owen converted a three-point play the hard way to go up 36-13. The lone point in the final three minutes of the half was a free throw by the Keelhaulers Valiceia Horne.
Scoring slowed for the Bobcats in the second half but they were able to extend their lead to a game-high 25 points midway through the third quarter, 41-16. Hayes accounted for six of the Bobcats first nine points out of intermission, including a pair of makes from the foul line to bring her 2018-19 free throw percentage to an even 90% (36-40). Her 90% is the highest single-season mark of any Bobcat in program history.
Other third quarter notables include a steal and assist from Alyssa Ono.
The Bobcats carried a 45-24 lead into the final period and remained out in front by at least 20 points for roughly five minutes of the fourth quarter. An isolation move from Smith gave the Bobcats a 47-24 lead and an Ono field goal had UC Merced on top 49-26.
Smith got the Bobcats to the 50 point mark at the charity stripe.
The freshman neared a double-double, nine points and eight rebounds. Five of her eight rebounds were on the offensive end.
Haylee Owen added to the rebounding efforts with seven, one short of her season-high. She also scored five points and notched a pair of assists.
Defensively, the Bobcats finished the night limiting Cal Maritime to 29% (14-47) from the field, nine percent (1-11) from downtown.
Up next, the Bobcats visit Simpson University for their final road contest of the regular season. Tip-off in Redding, Calif., is slated for 5:30pm inside the Joseph M. Grant Center.
