SANTA CLARITA, Calif. - The 15th-seeded University of California, Merced women's basketball team fell 63-41 to the second-seeded Master's University in the NAIA National Championship Opening Round on Friday night inside the MacArthur Center.

UC Merced's trip to the national tournament was their fourth in program history, their first since 2017. The Bobcats season comes to an end with an 18-8 overall record. The .692 winning percentage is the second highest in program history. The Bobcats, 2022 Cal Pac Tournament Champions, won a program-record 12 straight games entering the national tournament, which is tied for the longest winning streak of any team, in any sport, in UC Merced history.

The Bobcats led 13-11 after the first quarter but couldn't climb back from a 15-0 TMU run in the second and trailed by double figures the rest of the way. 

2020 NAIA National Player of the Year Stephanie Soares was a game-changer for The Master's. The 6'6" former five-star prospect neared a triple-double with 16 points, 14 rebounds and eight blocks.

The Bobcats were led by Madison Hotchkiss' four triples, resulting in a team-high 12 points. Her four three-pointers tied the program's NAIA Tournament record and she needed just seven attempts to hit that mark.

Andrea Rogers finished with eight points and a block. Mikayla Mabie and Deyliana Lewis pitched in six points each. Mabie also had four assists and two steals. The senior closes the year with 114 total assists, the third highest single-season tally in program history.

Other individual notables include eight rebounds from Damilola Sule, two assists from Haylee Owen, and two steals each from Rainah Smith and Marisse Jackson.

Owen also cashed in a triple to hit 900 points in her career. Smith was credited with an assist to pass Moses Oceguera for ninth in program history with 135 career assists.

Despite the loss, the Bobcats forced 22 turnovers and assisted on 75% of their made shots. Both were national tournament program records.

To stay up to date on everything UC Merced women's basketball in the offseason, follow @UCMercedWBB on Twitter and Instagram.