MERCED, Calif. – Nicole Lukito had 19 points and 15 rebounds to lead the University of California, Merced women's basketball team to a 68-62 win over California Tribal College in the 2024-25 home opener on Wednesday night inside the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium.
With the win, the Bobcats (3-2) have won eight consecutive home games dating back to last season.
Lukito's double-double was her fourth in the first five games and the 17th of her career. She added three blocks and a steal to her stat line. Lukito was 8-13 from the floor, while connecting on her only shot from three-point land.
Sarina Nagra added 18 points with the help of shooting 67% (4-6) from downtown. The sophomore's four three-pointers marked a career-high.
Leilani Blecha hit four more triples of her own for a 12-point outing, while Jazzy Beltran helped the offense with seven points. Blecha and Beltran recorded three assists each.
The Bobcats, who won the game wire-to-wire, started the game scoring the first eight points capped off by a Nagra three-pointer. After the Lady Eagles broke a nearly four-minute scoring drought, the Bobcats starting filling the scoreboard up again and a Blecha three-pointer and then a 5-0 Nagra run put the Bobcats up double digits, 16-5. However, the advantage was trimmed to six points at the end of the quarter as the Bobcats led 22-16. UC Merced's 22 points marked its third most in a quarter this campaign.
The two teams traded buckets to start the second quarter before a 10-0 UC Merced run stretching five minutes of clock time turned into a 39-24 lead. Nagra anchored the run with five points and an assist. Although California Tribal ended the skid with free throws, they didn't record another field goal until the final 72 seconds of the first half. The teams went into the locker rooms with UC Merced in front 43-30. Head coach Kellie Bernard's team forced five second quarter turnovers.
California Tribal opened the second half with a 7-2 spurt to cut the Bobcats lead to single digits, but then Blecha put an end to the Bobcats nearly five-minute drought without a field goal with a three-pointer. When the lead was trimmed to seven points, Ramirez converted a foul shot and then Nagra hit a third-quarter buzzer beater to put the Bobcats up eleven points, 57-46, at the end of three quarters.
The Bobcats had to stop a rally from California Tribal in the fourth quarter as the opponent made it a two-possession game just over two minutes in. Head coach Kellie Bernard saw her team push the lead back to eleven points, 63-52, with five minutes remaining. However, California Tribal refused to go away and held the Bobcats scoreless for the next three minutes while scoring five points of their own to make it, 63-57. The teams traded a bucket each as it was still a two-possession game inside of a minute.
The Lady Eagles extended the game by fouling and hitting another three-pointer, while the Bobcats made three of their four foul shots and got a key stop to finish out the 68-62 win.
UC Merced finished the night shooting 43% from the field, 45% from downtown, and 71% from the charity stripe. California Tribal made just 31% of its shots, a credit to the Bobcats defense.
Wednesday night marked the first ever meeting between the two opponents.
Up next, UC Merced will play at Sonoma State University on Saturday, November 23. Tipoff from The Wolves' Den in Rohnert Park, Calif., is scheduled for 2:00pm.
