ROHNERT PARK, Calif. – The University of California, Merced women's basketball team lost a hard-fought game to NCAA Division II CCAA opponent Sonoma State, 70-63, on Saturday afternoon.
Saturday marked the Bobcats (3-3) first game against a CCAA member since 2016. Madison Diaz and Nicole Lukito turned in stellar outings.
Diaz, who earned her first start of the season, scored a season-high 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds. She connected on five shots from beyond the arc, including two in the first quarter. Diaz's five triples match the 2024-25 team-high, while her 21 points are the second most by any Bobcat in the early season.
Lukito delivered another one-of-a-kind performance with 18 points, 22 rebounds, a career-high tying four assists, three blocks, and two steals. A stat line of such had never been recorded in program history until Lukito delivered it. Nine of her rebounds came on the offensive glass. It marked her third straight double-double, fifth double-double of the season, and 18th of her career. The sophomore now has four career 20+ rebound efforts.
Sarina Nagra scored seven points. Jazzy Beltran pitched in five points and tied her career-high with four rebounds. Other notables include a career-high four assists from Leilani Blecha and three assists from Elise LeBeau.
Sonoma State opened the game on a 9-2 run over the first two minutes before the Bobcats responded with an 10-2 surge to take their first lead of the game with 3:33 left in the first quarter. Diaz hit two triples in the stretch. The Bobcats 12-11 lead held the rest of the quarter as neither team put the ball in the hoop. UC Merced held Sonoma State scoreless the final 7:22 of the period, forcing four turnovers and eleven missed field goals.
The Seawolves also missed their first shot of the second quarter, but made their next one to regain the lead. Diaz followed with another three-pointer for another lead change and the Bobcats reached 20 points first leading 20-18 with five minutes to go in the half. The two teams then traded 5-0 runs, but it was Sonoma State who held a 26-25 lead at halftime.
There were two ties and two lead changes in the first three minutes of the third quarter. A little later tied 40-40, Sonoma State embarked on a 14-5 run over a four-minute stretch to build their biggest lead up to that point at 54-45.
The Bobcats fell further behind to start the fourth quarter as Sonoma State converted a three-point play to go up 59-47 on its first possession. The double-digit lead held until four straight Lukito points cut the deficit to 63-55 with 3:52 remaining. However, Sonoma State responded and notched a game-high 13-point lead at 69-56 with 2:14 left. Head coach Kellie Bernard's team held the Seawolves without a field goal the rest of the way, but the deficit was too much to overcome as the Bobcats fell 70-63.
UC Merced finished the day shooting 36% from the field, 28% from three-point land, and 77% from the charity stripe. The Bobcats held Sonoma State to just a 34% shooting mark, but committed 17 turnovers for one of the main differences in the game.
Despite the loss, the Bobcats 63 points were tied for the best offensive output against a NCAA Division II opponent since 2021.
Up next, the Bobcats will host Lincoln University on Monday, November 25, at 5:30pm inside the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium.
