CHANDLER, Ariz. – The University of California, Merced women's basketball team suffered a 59-51 loss to Benedictine Mesa on Thursday night in game one of a two-game Arizona road trip.
The Bobcats (3-11, 2-5) led by eight points heading into the fourth quarter before falling short.
Nicole Lukito led the Bobcats with a career-high 20 points and registered her fifth double-double of the year with 14 rebounds. The Fremont, Calif., joins Rainah Smith as the only other freshman in program history with at least five double-double's. Lukito reached her 20 points on a .643 field goal percentage. The third Bobcat to score at least 20 points in a game this year also had a career-high three blocks.
Emily Perez added eleven points and two steals, while Imani Johnson finished with seven points, seven rebounds and a career-high four assists.
Sarina Nagra and Leilani Blecha pitched in five points each. Blecha also notched two steals. Niamey Guillory hauled in six rebounds and recorded two steals.
UC Merced, who was looking to snap BenU's five-game Cal Pac winning streak, scored on back-to-back possessions to start the game before finding themselves trailing 11-6 towards the midway point of the first quarter. Three minutes later, a Blecha layup tied the game at 15 and then a Johnson bucket inside the painted area put the Bobcats up 17-15. After a BenU bucket, Guillory would score to give the Bobcats a 19-17 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
A 5-0 UC Merced run over the first three minutes of the second frame had head coach Kellie Bernard's team up by a then game-high seven points at 24-17. Shortly after leading 28-21, the Bobcats surged further ahead with a 7-0 run highlighted by a Perez three-pointer to extend UC Merced's lead to as many as 14 points at 35-21 inside of three minutes. The Bobcats carried a 35-23 lead into the intermission.
BenU cut into the Bobcats lead with a 9-2 run within the first five minutes of the third quarter and the margin closed to a possession at 39-36 soon after. Blecha then connected on a three-pointer to double the Bobcats lead and then a stretch of three straight buckets saw the Bobcats go back up by double digits, 48-38 with 30 seconds left in the third quarter.
UC Merced led 48-40 heading into the final frame but failed to score for the first eight minutes. Despite that, the Bobcats defense kept them in front for the first seven minutes but then a BenU steal and a three-pointer gave the home team their first lead since the first quarter at 50-48. Johnson snapped the Bobcats scoring drought at the free throw line, making the first shot and then missing the second one that was put back up by Lukito to give the Bobcats a 51-50 lead with 90 seconds remaining. However, the Bobcats wouldn't score again and BenU ended the night with a 9-0 run to knock off UC Merced. BenU made one field goal and went 7-8 at the foul line over their final 9-0 run to seal their win.
UC Merced finished the night shooting 31.8% from the floor, but held BenU to just a 28.4% mark. The Bobcats also forced 16 BenU turnovers.
Looking ahead, the Bobcats will play at Park University Gilbert on Saturday, January 13. Tipoff from the Arizona Athletic Grounds in Mesa, Ariz., is scheduled for 4:30pm PST.
