SAN DIMAS, Calif. – The University of California, Merced women's basketball team started 2-0 in its 2024-2025 season with an 83-49 win over Nobel and a 64-54 win over Life Pacific over the weekend. Both wins came on the road.
The Bobcats (2-0) are 2-0 for the first time in the Kellie Bernard era and for the third time in program history overall. UC Merced's 34-point win was its biggest ever in a season opener and it ties the biggest margin of victory ever under Bernard.
UC Merced led from the midway point of the first quarter and on in both matches.
Nicole Lukito picked up right where she left off last season and averaged 20 points and 15.5 rebounds per game across opening weekend. Sarina Nagra scored 15+ points in each contest while shooting over 50%. Four other Bobcats averaged at least 8.0 PPG.
Game One | UC Merced 83, Nobel 49
Lukito posted her first of two straight double-double's with 22 points and 13 rebounds in the season-opener against first-year program Nobel. She shot 81% (9-11) from the floor.
Nagra added 16 points shooting 50% (6-12) from the floor and three-point line (2-4), while Blecha hit 80% of her attempts from beyond the arc to finish with 12 points. Gabby Martini and Mariah Flores pitched in nine points each. Flores became the first Bobcat since 2021 to score at least nine points in her collegiate debut.
Elise LeBeau was a key contributor with nine rebounds, seven assists, and five steals.
The Bobcats made six of their first eight field goals to jump out to an early 14-6 lead and the advantage reached double figures by the end of the period at 21-10.
UC Merced's lead was trimmed to seven points at 27-20 before Bernard's squad took over the second quarter with a quarter-ending 14-3 run highlighted by four Lukito buckets. UC Merced led 41-23 at intermission.
The Bobcats continued to dominate Nobel in the second half growing their lead to 20 points early on and to as many as 28 points, 60-32, by the end of the third quarter.
UC Merced kept their foot on the gas pedal opening the final period with a 9-1 run highlighted by back-to-back Martini field goals. The Bobcats biggest lead of the night was 36 points, occurring on three occasions including first at the 69-33 mark.
UC Merced finished the day shooting 48% (32-66) from the floor, 47% (9-19) from downtown, and 66% (10-15) from the foul line.
Other notables include holding a +16 advantage on the glass, forcing 17 Nobel turnovers, and limiting the Knights to just a .264 field goal percentage.
Madison Diaz made her UC Merced debut and knocked down a triple. Flores, Sydney Corder Boyd, and Quinn Godfrey made their collegiate debut.
Game Two | UC Merced 64, Life Pacific 54
The Bobcats held their second straight opponent under 30% from the field to start 2-0 in 2024-25.
Offensively, Lukito highlighted the Bobcats with 18 points and Nagra added 15. Lukito hauled in 18 rebounds for another monster double-double. Blecha and Flores pitched in nine and eight points, respectively.
UC Merced never trailed and led for the final 38 and a half minutes. Bernard's squad led 13-10 after ten minutes of play and started creating separation with their best quarter of the game, outscoring Life Pacific 27-11 in the second frame. The Bobcats hit 61% of their shots in the quarter and had a run as big as 8-0 stretching more than three minutes. LeBeau hit a three-pointer on the Bobcats final first half possession to give her squad a 40-21 lead at the break.
The Bobcats maintained a lead between 18-24 points for the entirety of the third quarter. It was an 18-point lead at 47-29 before the Bobcats finished the period on an 8-2 run, including six straight points from Flores.
Bernard's team led by 20+ points for the first four and a half minutes of the fourth quarter before Life Pacific clawed their way back and cut the Bobcats lead down to 62-54 with two minutes to play. The home team utilized a 14-0 run holding the Bobcats scoreless for nearly seven minutes to get back in the game.
Then, UC Merced held the Warriors scoreless over the final two minutes to earn their second straight road win.
Paloma Ramirez finished the night with nine rebounds, while LeBeau recorded eight more assists.
Up next, UC Merced will play top 20 opponents Oregon Tech and Southern Oregon at the Lithia – Oregon Tech Classic, November 15-16 on Danny Miles Court in Klamath Falls, Ore.
