CHANDLER, Ariz. – The University of California, Merced women's basketball team earned a 75-71 overtime win over Benedictine University Mesa to wrap up a three-game Arizona road trip on Sunday afternoon.

The Bobcats (9-11, 9-6) win was their second straight and fourth win in their last five games, marking head coach Kellie Bernard's squads best five game stretch of the season.

In overtime, Gabby Martini knocked down a go-ahead three-pointer with 22 seconds left. Tiffany Nguyen and Nia Smiley helped seal the victory at the free throw line.

Martini finished with 12 points overall off the bench on 80% (4-5) shooting from beyond the arc.

Damilola Sule posted another impressive double-double with 18 points and 19 rebounds. The sophomore is now up 15 double-double's on the season, including six in a row. She has gone for at least 15 points and 15 rebounds in five consecutive games. Sule shot 50% (5-10) from the field and 73% (8-11) from the free throw line in this afternoon's win.

Deyliana Lewis registered her seventh double-double of the campaign finishing with 13 points and 13 rebounds. Additionally, Lewis is up to 15 double figure scoring games this year. She also recorded two blocks, two assists, and a steal on Sunday.

Victoria Farris scored ten points, while Paloma Ramirez and Nguyen added eight and seven points, respectively. All three Bobcats buried a three-pointer. Nguyen also tallied four rebounds and three assists while playing a team-high 42 minutes.

Other individual notables include four rebounds from Martini, and a steal each from Farris and Smiley.

UC Merced had to recover from an early double figure deficit to have the chance at winning a tight game later on. The Bobcats trailed 24-12 after the first quarter and by as many as 15 points with just under three minutes to go before halftime. Back-to-back triples from Martini and Nguyen cut the deficit to nine, and then after another stop, Ramirez scored on the Bobcats final possession of the half to make it a 38-31 game at the break.

The Bobcats continued to chip away at the deficit after halftime, eventually tying the game on a Smiley jumper at 43-43 midway through the third quarter. Shortly after, a Lewis three-point play gave the Bobcats the lead. The two teams traded buckets over the next few minutes, leaving the Bobcats with a 50-48 lead heading into the fourth.

Back and forth play continued for the final ten minutes of regulation, with UC Merced leading for the majority of it but never by more than five points. BenU Mesa's Elise Young would tie the game at 58-58 following an offensive rebound putback with 90 seconds to go. Both teams combined to miss their next eight shots while attempting to take the lead and possibly win the game. BenU Mesa had the ball last, missing a baseline jumper that was well defended by UC Merced's Ramirez as the horn sounded. The score remained 58-58 going into overtime.

Overtime saw plenty of points scored. Although the extra period was just five minutes, the two squads combined for 30 points which was nearly double the total amount of points scored in the fourth quarter.

BenU Mesa scored first in overtime and both teams scored on three of their first four possessions, resulting in a 64-63 BenU Mesa lead after two minutes. The Bobcats were down three points 20 seconds later, but responded with a 6-0 run behind Ramirez and Martini. BenU Mesa grabbed the lead back, 70-69 with 46 seconds left. Sule and Lewis were fouled out at this point.

Out of a timeout, UC Merced brought the ball up the floor and continued to move the ball around, and ultimately the ball ended up in the hands of an open Martini who knocked down a three-pointer in the corner to put the Bobcats ahead 70-69. UC Merced followed with a defensive stop. Nguyen and Smiley were then up for the challenge to seal the deal for the Bobcats at the free throw line, putting the finishing touches on a 75-71 victory.

UC Merced finished the day shooting 67% (20-30) at the free throw line, 71% (5-7) in overtime.

The Bobcats overtime game was their first of the season and just their third in the last five years. The Bobcats have won all three of those games.

Looking ahead, UC Merced will host Westcliff University on Thursday, February 2 at 5:30pm inside the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium.