MERCED, Calif. – The University of California, Merced women's basketball team put together their best offensive performance of the season to beat Westcliff University 74-60 on Thursday night inside the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium.
The Bobcats (3-6, 4-12) shot a season-high 50% (8-16) from three-point land and a season-best 47.1% from the floor in the win. The 74 points marked the third highest of the year, improving to 3-0 this year when scoring at least 70. Thursday night's win also marked the first home victory of the year.
Nicole Lukito tallied her third consecutive double-double to lead the Bobcats and finished with 17 points, ten rebounds, and three blocks. The freshman has seven double-double's overall and two while scoring at least 17 points.
Imani Johnson shared a game-high 17 points with Lukito. Johnson scored her career-high shooting 75% from the floor and 100% (2-2) from downtown. The Hercules, Calif., native also had six rebounds, a career-high tying four assists, and two steals.
Sarina Nagra and Leilani Blecha each scored ten points and connected on a pair of three-pointers. Nagra was 2-3 from downtown. Both Bobcats grabbed four rebounds.
Jazzy Beltran added nine points and four assists, while Niamey Guillory pitched in seven points.
UC Merced led for the final 35 minutes in their most impressive win of the year. A steal and score from Blecha broke a 7-7 tie midway through the first quarter in what would ultimately be the final lead change of the night. The Bobcats would go on to finish the frame on an 18-6 run overall to take a 21-12 lead. Johnson splashed a triple as time expired to cap off the surge.
A Guillory bucket gave the Bobcats their first double figure lead of the game a minute into the second quarter and shortly after a Lukito three-pointer put the Bobcats up 28-14. Westcliff countered with a 10-0 run before back-to-back-to-back three-pointers got the Bobcats lead back up. Blecha hit two triples, while Beltran knocked down the other. UC Merced would lead 37-26 at intermission.
Up by ten points early in the second half, the Bobcats created further separation with an 8-0 run over a two and a half minute stretch to go up by as many as 18 points at 47-29. Later on in the third quarter, a Nagra shot from downtown connected to give the Bobcats a 20-point lead, 57-37.
UC Merced led by as many as 21 points two minutes into the fourth quarter and held a 17-point lead with four minutes to go to solidify the victory and win their third Cal Pac game by at least 14 points.
The Bobcats improve to 7-3 all-time against Westcliff with Thursday night's win.
Up next, UC Merced will host University of Saint Katherine on Saturday, January 20 at 5:30pm inside the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium. Saturday night's contest marks the halfway point of league play.
