PRESCOTT, Ariz. – The University of California, Merced women's basketball team executed well down the stretch on the second night of a back-to-back to beat Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, 64-57 on Friday evening in the ERAU Activity Center.

The Bobcats (8-11, 8-6) broke a 47-47 tie with five minutes to play and never looked back to sweep the regular season series against the Eagles for the first time in program history. Also of note, the Bobcats are just the second Cal Pac team in the last five years to sweep the Eagles. The Bobcats win in Prescott was their first since 2017.

Damilola Sule broke the program's all-time double-double's record in the victory with her 15th of her career, passing UC Merced alumna Mia Shannon for the top spot. Sule's final stat line was 19 points, 15 rebounds, two assists, a steal, and a block. 14 of her 15 double-double's have come this season.

Paloma Ramirez hit a pair of three-pointers and scored 13 points off the bench, marking her tenth double-figure scoring effort this season.

Deyliana Lewis added 12 points, nine rebounds, and three assists.

Victoria Farris and Tiffany Nguyen each scored eight points. Farris also recorded six rebounds and four assists. Four of Farris' rebounds came on the offensive glass. Nguyen hauled in four boards.

The Bobcats biggest lead of the night was nine points inside the final minute. Prior to that, the two teams combined for 17 lead changes over the first 35 minutes and the scoring margin was within four points for the entire first half.

Both teams held four-point leads in the first quarter, but it was only UC Merced to garner an advantage of four points in the second quarter and it came as part of a Sule 5-0 run to go up 28-24. The Bobcats also led 30-26 before going into intermission leading by two at 33-31.

Scoring was hard to come by in the third quarter for the first five minutes, but then the lid came off the basket and head coach Kellie Bernard's team got going with a 12-3 run highlighted by a three-pointer each from Ramirez and Nguyen. Nguyen's triple put UC Merced up by then a game-high seven points, 45-38 with 17 seconds left in the period.

Embry-Riddle came back to pull even at 45 all.

Then tied 47-47 with five minutes left, Farris converted a bucket inside that started a stretch of five straight UC Merced possessions resulting in points. Four different Bobcats scored in those five possessions to put the Bobcats up 57-49 with just over two minutes remaining. The Bobcats also led by eight points at 61-53 before extending their lead to a game-high nine points at the foul line in the closing seconds. ERAU scored once more before the final horn, capping the final score at 64-57.

UC Merced finished the night shooting 39% (24-62) from the floor, 31% (4-13) from downtown, and 63% (12-19) from the foul line.  

Looking ahead, the Bobcats finish out a three-game Arizona road trip against Benedictine University Mesa on Sunday, January 29. Tipoff from the Coyote Center at Chandler-Gilbert Community College is scheduled for 1:00pm PST.