Box Score MERCED, Calif. – Sarina Nagra poured in a career-high 27 points and the University of California, Merced women's basketball team extended their winning streak to four games with a 70-68 win over Cal Maritime on Saturday night in the final game of a four-game homestand.
The Bobcats (7-12, 6-6) four-game winning streak is tied for the longest under head coach Kellie Bernard and they are back to .500 in California Pacific Conference play for the first time since they were 2-2. Also of note, the Bobcats are now 5-0 when scoring at least 70 points this season and have won seven of their last eight dating back to last year when hitting that scoring output.
Nagra's 27 points ties the 2023-24 team-high and she accomplished her career-high shooting 69% (9-13) from the field and 80% (8-10) from the charity stripe. The freshman scored nine in the Bobcats pivotal fourth quarter. The freshman also had a career-high four steals on the night, a career-high two blocks, three rebounds, and two assists.
Nicole Lukito tallied her sixth consecutive double-double and reached 10 double-double's on the year with a 15-point, 16-rebound effort. She reached her scoring mark by knocking down eleven of her 14 free throws, becoming just the fourth player in program history with at least eleven free throws in a game. She became just the second player in program history to notch ten double-double's joining only Damilola Sule. Eight of her 16 rebounds were grabbed on the offensive glass.
Megan Williams upped her season-high in scoring for the second straight contest finishing with 15 points on 7-9 shooting and seven rebounds. Williams played 37 minutes.
Imani Johnson filled up the stat sheet with eleven points, six rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
Other notables include four rebounds each from Jazzy Beltran and Niamey Guillory.
Cal Maritime was the first to ten points on Saturday night but the Bobcats countered with an 11-4 quarter-ending run, including a Lukito three-point play in the closing 30 seconds to lead 17-14 after ten minutes of action.
UC Merced led 22-20 three minutes into the second quarter before seeing Cal Maritime jump back in front with a 9-0 run to go up 29-22. Nagra followed with a 5-0 run herself to bring the Bobcats back within a possession but the Bobcats would trail 32-28 at intermission.
The Bobcats deficit grew to a game-high eight points at 36-28 early in the third quarter. Bernard's squad chipped away at the deficit and came within a possession on multiple occasions and eventually came back to pull even at 47-47 in the final 90 seconds of the period. Cal Maritime answered with a two-point basket and then Lukito earned one of her seven trips to the foul line and sunk both free throws to make it a 49-49 contest after 30 minutes of basketball.
Williams made two shots and Lukito buried two more free throws as part of a 6-0 UC Merced run to open up the final frame. A few minutes later, UC Merced and Cal Maritime found themselves tied at 57-57 with 5:30 remaining. Nagra put the Bobcats back in front with back-to-back baskets and UC Merced led by as many as eight points, 66-58, inside of three minutes.
The Bobcats led 68-63 with a minute to go and 70-65 after a huge Johnson floater with 36 seconds left. Johnson's field goal off the window ultimately proved to be the Bobcats most important score of the night because Cal Maritime responded with a three-pointer to make it 70-68 with 26 seconds left. The Keelhaulers then fouled the Bobcats and they came up empty at the stripe, which gave the visitors a chance with 14 seconds left to tie the game or win it with a three-pointer.
Cal Maritime elected to play for the final shot and with Nagra defending the ball-handler, the Bobcats offensive and defensive MVP of the night helped force a Cal Maritime travel with 1.6 seconds left denying any Cal Maritime chance at a shot. UC Merced inbounded the ball cleanly and was not fouled, resulting in the 70-68 final.
The Bobcats win was their 16th in a row against Cal Maritime dating back to 2015.
Up next, UC Merced will begin a three-game road trip at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Ariz., on Thursday, February 1. Tipoff from the ERAU Activity Center is scheduled for 4:30pm PST.
