MERCED, Calif. – The University of California, Merced women's basketball team held off University of Saint Katherine to extend their winning streak to a season-long four games, winning 60-58 on Saturday night inside the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium.

With the win, the Bobcats (11-11, 11-6) also got to .500 for the first time this season overall and improved to a season-best five games over .500 in league action.

The Bobcats handled Saint Katherine for the majority of the game and led by 19 points heading into the fourth quarter. However, Saint Katherine stormed back to pull even with 25 seconds left in regulation.

With the shot clock off, Victoria Farris took the game clock down to ten seconds before driving to the rack attempting to win the game. Farris was fouled on the shot, putting her at the foul line with 7.7 seconds left. The senior knocked down both foul shots, and Farris and the Bobcats got one final defensive stop to come away with the victory.

UC Merced turned in their most efficient shooting night of the year in the win, recording season best's of 45% (23-51) from the floor and 46% (5-11) from three-point land. Head coach Kellie Bernard's team also made 75% (9-12) of their foul shots, including the two most important ones to win the game inside of ten seconds.

Paloma Ramirez led the Bobcats offensively with 16 points. Ramirez scored six of her points from downtown, marking her third time in the Bobcats season-long four-game winning streak making multiple shots from three-point land. The freshman added five rebounds to her scoring output.

Tiffany Nguyen poured in 13 points and shot 75% (3-4) from beyond the arc. With her strong efforts, Nguyen passed Madison Hotchkiss and Samantha Oshiro for ninth in program history with 48 career three-pointers.

Deyliana Lewis finished with 12 points on 67% (6-9) shooting, five assists, five rebounds, a steal, and a block. Like Nguyen, Lewis also jumped up the program's record books. Lewis's five assists were enough to move her ahead of Cierra McClain for eighth in UC Merced history with 146 assists, while her rebounding numbers put her in the top five for the most rebounds in a single-season. The Stockton, Calif., native is up to 205 rebounds on the year.

Damilola Sule inched closer to the conference's single-season double-double record with eleven points and eleven rebounds. Sule's double-double performance was career-best eighth straight and her 17th of the year overall.

Other individual notables include five points and four assists from Farris, three assists from Aislyn Dora, and two steals each from Sule and Nia Smiley.

The Bobcats exploded out of the gates with one of their best first quarters of the year and led 20-7 after ten minutes of play. Ramirez scored nine of her 16 points in the frame to set the tone early.

Saint Katherine started the second quarter on an 8-0 run before the Bobcats found their rhythm again and eventually extended their lead to as many as 15 points before intermission, 32-17, after a Lewis steal and score.

Less than 45 seconds into the second half, Lewis and Ramirez played a role in getting Bobcats advantage up to 18 points at 37-19. The Bobcats maintained a lead of at least 14 points the rest of the quarter and built it to 19 heading into the final frame at 50-31.

Despite the 19-point scoring margin, Saint Katherine didn't let the Bobcats off easy. The Firebirds scored on eight of their first nine possessions of the fourth quarter, while limiting the Bobcats to just one make as part of a 17-2 run that spanned over the first five minutes of the final frame. The result of the run was a two-possession game with UC Merced on top 52-48.

It was also a two-possession game with three minutes to go before Saint Katherine pulled within a point, 55-54 with 2:44 remaining. Just over two minutes later, Saint Katherine erased their 19-point deficit completely by tying the game at 58. With 25 seconds left, Farris then dribbled out a good portion of the clock before driving and earning a trip to that foul line that ultimately won the Bobcats the game.

The Bobcats win marked their second win in the past three games in which they were tied with the shot clock off in regulation.

Overall, UC Merced has now played nine games this season with a one-possession scoring margin in the final minute of the game.

Looking ahead, UC Merced will start their final road trip of the regular season at La Sierra University on Thursday, February 9. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30pm at Alumni Pavilion in Riverside, Calif.