MERCED, Calif. – The University of California, Merced women's basketball team is in Arizona for a Thursday matchup against Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and then will make their way back to California for a contest at La Sierra University on Saturday.
Thursday, February 1
UC Merced (7-12, 6-6) at Embry-Riddle (9-11, 7-5)
Time: 4:30pm PST
Location: ERAU Activity Center (Prescott, Ariz.)
Watch | Live Stats | ERAU Map
Saturday, February 3
UC Merced (7-12, 6-6) at La Sierra (4-12, 4-8)
Time: 6:30pm
Location: Alumni Pavilion (Riverside, Calif.)
Watch | Live Stats | La Sierra Map
LAST TIME OUT
UC Merced earned a 70-68 victory over Cal Maritime on Saturday to complete its season-long four-game homestand with a perfect 4-0 record. The Bobcats, who held a 17-14 lead at the end of the first quarter, trailed 32-28 at intermission and by as many as eight points at 36-28 early in the third quarter. The two teams were tied 49-49 heading into the final frame and again 57-57 with six minutes to play before Nagra scored four straight points. The Bobcats led the rest of the way, including 66-58 with two and a half minutes left. Cal Maritime came close, but the Bobcats forced a turnover on the Keelhaulers final possession for the win. Nagra led all scorers with a career-high 27 points, while Nicole Lukito had a 15-point, 16-rebound double-double. Megan Williams added 15 points and Imani Johnson had eleven.
FOUR STRAIGHT WINS
UC Merced has won a season-best four straight games which is tied for the longest winning streak in the Kellie Bernard era. Overall, it marks the third straight season that the program has a winning streak of that length in Cal Pac play and the seventh time in the last eight years. The Bobcats best win in this stretch is 74-60 over Westcliff University, a Cal Pac semifinalist a year ago and a team that is in a position for another postseason run. UC Merced also beat USK, Pacific Union College, and Cal Maritime. The Bobcats now sit just one game back of a postseason berth with eight games to go.
FRESHMAN SENSATION
Nicole Lukito is currently the only player in the nation averaging at least 12.5 points, 14.4 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game in conference play. Lukito also owns a .515 field goal percentage and is shooting 80.4% (41-51) from the charity stripe. The freshman just earned her second straight Cal Pac Player of the Week award after averaging 21 points and 21 rebounds per game in the Bobcats two wins last week over PUC and Cal Maritime. Her most impressive outing was against PUC, when she recorded career-high's of 27 points and 26 rebounds and also distributed the basketball becoming the first player in UC Merced history with 27 points, 26 rebounds, and at least four assists in the same game. She added three steals in the effort. Her 26 rebounds were the second most in Cal Pac history and she outrebounded PUC 26-23 all by herself. Lukito has six consecutive double-double's and is already up to ten on the year, becoming just the second player in program history to accomplish that feat joining Damilola Sule. With eight games left, here is where Lukito stands in both the program's and the conference's single-season record book. The below numbers are over the entire campaign, rather than just conference play.
Stat UC Merced Single-Season Rank (Cal Pac Single-Season Rank)
Ten double-double's 2nd (T-14th)
12.1 Rebounds PG 2nd (2nd)
229 Rebounds 3rd (NA)
53.3 Field Goal % 4th (7th)
80.6 Free Throw % T-4th (NA)
1.3 Blocks PG 5th (NA)
HERE COMES NAGRA
Sarina Nagra is coming off a career-high 27-point night in the win over Cal Maritime which tied Lukito for the most points any Bobcat has scored this season. She reached that scoring output shooting 69% (9-13) from the floor and 80% from the charity stripe. The freshman also had a career-high four steals and a career-high two blocks. Leading up to the outburst, Nagra had scored in double figures in two of the last three games while knocking down six total three-pointers.
OTHER FRESHMEN LEADERS
Eleven of the Bobcats 17 players on the roster are freshman. Along with Lukito, Imani Johnson leads the Bobcats with 41 total assists, Leilani Blecha holds team-high with 28 three-point makes, and Jazzy Beltran is first on the team with 24 steals. Beltran has also started 14 consecutive games.
PEREZ CAN SCORE
Junior Emily Perez is the Bobcats scoring leader and is sixth in the Cal Pac with 15.3 PPG and 14.5 PPG overall. She opened up the year with eight straight double figure scoring efforts and has scored at least ten points in eleven of the 13 games she has played in. In a five-game stretch from November 30-January 2, Perez scored at least 18 points four times and reached 20 points twice, including a season-high 24 points against Embry-Riddle on December 2. Perez has missed the Bobcats last four games.
SCORING 65 OR MORE POINTS
UC Merced is 7-0 this season when scoring at least 65 points and are 15-4 under Bernard when hitting that mark since the start of 2022-23. A recipe for success this season in reaching 65 points has been the Bobcats free throw shooting and getting extra possessions. Bernard's squad is shooting 75.7% from the foul line in those games, while shooting just 55.6% in games that they don't score 65 points. As for maximizing possessions, the Bobcats are +6 on the offensive glass in such games and record just 12 turnovers a game compared to 19 when they don't score 65 points.
99 VS. PUC
UC Merced scored a Bernard era high 99 points in the 99-65 win against PUC a week ago. All-time, it was the sixth highest scoring output in program history and the third highest in a Cal Pac game. The Bobcats made 41 shots shooting 46%. Thirteen Bobcats scored and at least ten different Bobcats made two or more field goals. Lukito led all scorers with 27 points, while Megan Williams added 12 points and Jazzy Beltran finished with ten.
STACKING UP WITH THE CAL PAC
UC Merced is ranked top five in the Cal Pac in four different categories, including ranking fourth with 66.2 points per game. The Bobcats are also fourth with 41.5 rebounds per game, 3.1 blocks per game, and are fifth with 11.3 assists per game.
ON THE ROAD
The Bobcats enter the final eight games of the regular season with five of them being played on the road. This current road trip is the most grueling travel of the Cal Pac slate with the games Thursday and Saturday being played 350 miles apart and in two completely different elevations with Prescott being 5,319 feet above sea level. Then, the Bobcats have a game at Simpson in Redding, Calif., on Tuesday, which is 600 miles from La Sierra. UC Merced is 2-3 on the road in Cal Pac play this year. One of the losses was to the Cal Pac's top team in Benedictine Mesa and despite the loss, the Bobcats held a lead inside of 90 seconds.
VS. THE OPPONENTS
The Bobcats have the upper-hand in the series against both opponents, holding a 7-6 all-time record against Embry-Riddle and a 15-7 record against La Sierra. UC Merced did lose to both teams earlier this season, however it was a one-possession game inside the final minute both contests. The Bobcats fell 64-63 to La Sierra and 69-59 to Embry-Riddle after the Eagles went on an 11-0 game-ending run. On the road, UC Merced is 2-4 against ERAU with one of their two victories coming last year in Prescott. The Bobcats are 5-4 at La Sierra, including going 5-1 in the last six tries out in Riverside.
SCOUTING EMBRY-RIDDLE
Embry-Riddle is one of most well-rounded teams in Cal Pac play leading the league with 68.3 points per game and ranking in the top half allowing just 60.2 PPG. They are also ranked first with 15.6 assists and 3.9 blocks per game, and are third with 41.6 rebounds a game. A strong front court team, Zakiirah King is a big part of Embry-Riddle's success averaging 12.3 PPG and 6.0 RPG. Liz Behan is up 8.8 PPG on a Cal Pac best .639 field goal percentage and is also first with 1.6 BPG. Susie Reynoso is solid and is top three on the team with 8.0 points, 2.5 assists, and 1.1 steals per game.
ABOUT LA SIERRA
Daja Scott-Mitchell is La Sierra's leader and is averaging a double-double with 10.6 points and 11.9 rebounds per game in conference play. Her rebounding numbers are second in the Cal Pac behind Nicole Lukito. Kadyn Mew is a bright spot offensively with a team-best 13.6 PPG and is second in the league with 3.8 APG. The two Golden Eagles also combine for nearly four steals a night. As a team, La Sierra leads the league with 42.6 rebounds per game and is fifth with 12.1 APG.
HOSTING THE CALIFORNIA PACIFIC CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
The 2024 California Pacific Conference Championships will be hosted Mar. 2-5 inside the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium on the campus of the University of California, Merced in Merced, Calif. The top six teams in the standings, with the top two getting a bye, will qualify for the championships. The winner of the championship receives the Cal Pac's second automatic berth to the NAIA National Championships. The regular-season champion will receive the first. If the regular-season champion also wins the tournament, the second berth will go to the tournament runner-up. Merced will serve as the host city for the first time ever. UC Merced is tied with University of Antelope Valley for the most Cal Pac Championships among all active teams. UC Merced won the tournament title in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2022. UAV has won it in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2023.
