MERCED, Calif. – Despite forcing a season-high 21 turnovers, the University of California, Merced women's basketball team fell just short of beating UC Santa Cruz for the first time in program history, falling 63-61 on Saturday night inside the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium.
The Bobcats (4-6) forced 14 of the Banana Slugs' 21 turnovers with a steal. UC Merced's 14 steals are the most since December 20, 2022. Paloma Ramirez had a career-high five steals.
UC Merced overcame a late 61-52 deficit with a 9-0 run and tied the game with 13 seconds left on a Megan Williams layup. However, UC Santa Cruz scored the eventual game-winner but did leave five seconds left on the clock for the Bobcats. The Bobcats called a timeout trailing 63-61 and advanced the ball, but the game-winning three-point attempt was off the mark as time expired.
Nicole Lukito led the Bobcats with a season-high 25 points on a career-high eleven made field goals. Her 25 points marked the second most in her career, while she is the first Bobcat to hit eleven shots in a nonconference game since December 28, 2018. Lukito also tallied eight rebounds, four blocks, three assists, and a steal. She passed Damilola Sule for eighth in program history with 470 career rebounds.
Sarina Nagra had ten points, a season-high two steals, and two assists. Leilani Blecha added nine points, a career-high tying five rebounds, and a season-high three steals. Megan Williams had a season-high eight points on 4-4 shooting.
Other notables include five rebounds and a career-high tying four assists from Ramirez and three assists from Madison Diaz.
UC Santa Cruz scored the first six points of the game off UC Merced turnovers, but the Bobcats responded with a 13-4 run to take their first lead of the game at 13-10 with 2:26 to go in the first quarter. Lukito had seven points in the run, including a three-pointer. The two teams were then tied 15-15 heading into the second period.
Blecha opened the second quarter with a three-pointer and Lukito followed with a bucket off a turnover for the Bobcats first two-possession lead of the night. However, the Banana Slugs followed with a 9-0 run to trade the two-possession lead. A Williams jumper made it 24-22 midway through the quarter before UCSC extended its lead to a game-high eight points, 30-22 inside of three minutes. Lukito and Ramirez each scored before the half cutting the Bobcats deficit to four points at intermission, 30-26.
The two teams exchanged buckets to start the third quarter and then a 7-0 UC Merced run over a two-minute stretch capped by a Lukito field goal put the Bobcats up 42-39 with 2:19 left in the period. Head coach Kellie Bernard's team also led 44-41 but it was tied 44-44 going into the final 10 minutes.
The fourth quarter started with a lead change and a tie in the first 30 seconds, but UC Santa Cruz followed with nine unanswered points to go up 56-47 with 7:22 remaining. Williams stopped the run with a field goal and then scored again two minutes later to cut the deficit down to 56-52 at the midway point. The Bobcats fell behind by nine points again, this time 61-52 with two and a half minutes remaining.
UC Merced responded with a 9-0 run to tie the game with 13 seconds left. The Bobcats also forced three turnovers in the run to fight back. Blecha started the surge with a three-pointer, and then four straight Nagra points made it a one-possession game. Then, Lukito found Williams underneath the basket for an easy layup to tie the game 61-61.
UC Santa Cruz's Alyssa Jackson answered with the game-winner off an assist from the 6'5" Jenna Gorton. Jackson finished with 13 points, while Gorton had 18.
While the Bobcats had a higher field goal percentage and won the turnover battle, UC Santa Cruz held a +7 free throw advantage and had one more three-pointer which factored in to its road victory.
UC Merced finished the night shooting 40% from the field, 23% from downtown, and 57% (4-7) from the foul line. The Bobcats have shot at least 40% in all three home games this year.
With the loss, the Bobcats snapped their nine-game home winning streak dating back to last season.
Looking ahead, UC Merced will return to action after final exams to play Chico State on the road on Saturday, December 21. Tipoff from Acker Gym in Chico, Calif., is scheduled for 1:00pm.
