MERCED, Calif. – The University of California, Merced women's basketball team will square off with the top half of the California Pacific Conference standings this week as Westcliff (Jan. 30) and La Sierra (Feb. 1) come to the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium.
UC Merced (9-8, 3-0) and La Sierra (7-7, 3-0) both come in without a blemish in league action, while the Warriors (7-4, 2-1) have won two straight.
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Thursday night's game will be a "Gold Out" with all fans encouraged to wear gold clothing. The first 150 fans will get a gold T-Shirt. Saturday is a "Black Out" with the first 100 fans to the doubleheader receiving a foam finger. Tickets can be purchased here.
SETTING THE STAGE
UC Merced is riding a five-game winning streak, the longest streak under head coach Kellie Bernard and the longest since the 2021-22 season.
UC Merced is 3-0 in Cal Pac play for the third time in the last four years. UC Merced's last 4-0 start or better came in 2021-22, the year the Bobcats finished a perfect 10-0 in Cal Pac play.
The Bobcats return home this week for two games and will play at the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium four times in their next five games. Last time out, UC Merced beat Simpson 61-49 on the road. Sarina Nagra led the Bobcats in scoring with 22 points, while Nicole Lukito finished with 16 points and 16 rebounds. UC Merced's defense was key in the victory and the Bobcats snapped Simpson's streak of scoring at least 50 points in 35 straight home games dating back to January 22, 2022. Simpson had also won eight straight home games dating back to last season.
The Bobcats take Hostetler Court on Thursday night winning 12 of their last 13 games at home dating back to last season outscoring opponents by 24.4 PPG. The Bobcats are 5-1 at home this season, including winning three straight with all three wins coming by at least 44 points. Prior to a December 7 loss against UC Santa Cruz, the Bobcats nine-game home winning streak was the second longest home winning streak in program history behind the eleven-game home winning streak from the end of the 2021-22 season into the 2022-23 campaign.
Bernard's teams have combined to go 19-6 overall at home under her watch. The Bobcats are 27-9 at home since the start of the 2021-22 season and have had a winning record at home every season since 2016-17. UC Merced is 35-15 in its last 50 home games dating back to November 4, 2019.
The Bobcats are in the middle of a ten-game California Pacific Conference schedule, playing five opponents in a home-and-home series. This will be the Bobcats final season in the Cal Pac before joining the CCAA as a NCAA Division II member.
UC Merced's six nonconference wins marked the most under third year head coach Kellie Bernard and overall for the program, it tied the most nonconference wins of any season since 2018-19.
Nicole Lukito has been named the Cal Pac Player of the Week five times already this season, including four defensive weekly honors and one offensive honor. She earned three straight nods on Jan. 6, Jan. 13, and Jan. 20. Her five weekly accolades brings her career total to eight, which is the most in program history and is tied for the most in school history across all sports with men's volleyball's Chris Morikawa and Ryan Steele.
NICOLE'S TRIPLE-DOUBLE
Nicole Lukito recorded the second triple-double in program history in a 99-48 win over Stanton on January 10. The sophomore scored ten points, grabbed 23 rebounds, and added a career-high ten assists for the program's first triple-double since Deja Jackson's on January 6, 2018. Also of note, it's the first triple-double by any Cal Pac player since La Sierra's Luiza Rodriguez on November 3, 2019.
CAL PAC RANKINGS
UC Merced is currently leading the Cal Pac with 70.9 PPG while shooting a league-best .396 from the field, .346 from three-point land, and .739 from the free throw line. The Bobcats three-point field goal percentage is good for 17th in the nation and it's the team's best mark since 2013-14 season.
UC Merced is also ranked first with 15.2 APG and 2.9 BPG, and is second with 43.1 RPG. The Bobcats are also third holding opponents to just 62.5 PPG.
Nicole Lukito is leading the league with 16.0 points per game, 15.1 rebounds per game, 1.6 blocks per game, and a .535 field goal percentage. She is also second with an .841 free throw percentage and tied for third with 2.8 assists per game. Her rebounding numbers, both her 15.1 RPG and her 256 total rebounds, are ranked second and sixth in the NAIA, respectively. The sophomore's 27 blocks are the 42nd most in the country.
Sarina Nagra's 13.9 PPG are the fourth most in the conference. She ranks second with 27 made three-pointers and third with 42 made free throws, while maintaining top five shooting percentages with a .764 FTP (5th) and a .389 3P FG % (5th). The sophomore has scored 20 points in back-to-back games and at least 20 in three of the last four outings.
Leilani Blecha leads the league with 42 three-point field goals and is third maintaining a .404 three-point field goal percentage. She is also ninth with 1.5 steals per game and has notched a steal in 13 of her 17 games played this season. Blecha currently has a steal in four straight games.
Freshman Mariah Flores is leading the league shooting 47.8% from the three-point line and is third with a 48% mark from the floor. She is fourth with 22 made three-pointers.
Elise LeBeau is tied for second in the league with 48 assists and is tied for third with 2.8 assists per game.
Jazzy Beltran is tied for sixth with 2.6 assists per game. She returned to action on January 25 for the first time since January 2 due to an injury.
Quinn Godfrey is fifth with five blocks.
FOR THE LOVE OF NUMBERS
The Bobcats are slashing .446/.367/.748 in victories compared to .339/.323/.726 in defeats.
UC Merced, who has outrebounded its opponents in five straight games, is 8-0 this season when holding the rebounding advantage. The Bobcats have won ten straight games dating back to last season accomplishing the feat.
Nicole Lukito has 14 double-double's this season | 22p/13r at Nobel, 18p/18r at Life Pacific, 10p/16r vs. Southern Oregon, 19p/15r vs. California Tribal, 18p/22r at Sonoma State, 17p/18r vs. Lincoln, 10p/13r at Academy of Art, 14p/15r at Chico State, 17p/21r at Hope International, 12p/11r vs. Nobel, 17p/23r/10a vs. Stanton, 27p/17r at Cal Maritime, 16p/16r vs. PUC, 16p/16r at Simpson. Her seven-game double-double streak is a career-best.
Nicole Lukito has scored 16+ points and has grabbed 16+ rebounds in four straight games. Furthermore, she has scored in double figures in nine consecutive outings and has grabbed 10+ rebounds in seven straight.
For the first time since the 2019-20 season, UC Merced made ten free throws in five consecutive games (11/20-12/01). It resulted in two wins in the stretch and overall the Bobcats are 7-4 when making at least 10 foul shots this season.
The Bobcats are believed to be the youngest team in the California Pacific Conference with 70% of its roster being freshmen and sophomores. UC Merced's lone senior is Megan Williams. Madison Diaz, Elise LeBeau Gabby Martini, and Paloma Ramirez are juniors. Other teams in the league's percentage of underclassman are: Westcliff 50%, Simpson 33%, La Sierra 30%, Cal Maritime 23%, PUC N/A
The Bobcats have led at halftime in ten of their 17 games and have won five straight when leading at the half. Overall, the Bobcats are 9-1 this season when leading at halftime.
Following its fifth 80+ point game of the season on January 18, the Bobcats are now 9-0 all-time under Bernard when scoring 80 or more points and have won 20 straight games when reaching that mark since the start of the 2021-22 season. Also of note, UC Merced is 38-2 when scoring at least 80 points since the start of the 2017-18 campaign. The Bobcats have hit 80 five times this year after hitting it just once all of last season.
Earlier this season, Leilani Blecha buried a three-pointer in nine consecutive games, including hitting multiple three-pointers in seven of those games. She splashed eight triples, while hitting six in a row to start the game, on January 10 vs. Stanton. Blecha is one of just three players in program history with eight three-pointers in a game, joining Shelby Howard and Christina Castro.
AT THE HELM
Head coach Kellie Bernard is in her third season leading the Bobcats and has a 31-39 career record. Bernard is assisted by Jasmine Washington.
IN THE RECORD BOOKS (CAREER)
Nicole Lukito is closing in on the program's all-time rebounding record. She heads into the homestand ranked third on the all-time list with 589 career rebounds and is chasing the all-time record currently held by Mia Shannon (609 rebounds). At her current 13.4 career RPG mark, she can break the record on Saturday (or faster) against La Sierra.
Lukito is also ranked first with 27 career double-double's, first with 13.4 RPG, first with 1.6 BPG, second with a .530 field goal percentage, third with a .799 free throw percentage, third with 29.6 MPG, and fourth with 68 blocks. On Saturday, Lukito moved into the No. 4 spot on the Cal Pac's all-time double-double's list, passing Jessup's Sarah Peterson (2012-14). Lukito is three double-double's away from passing Menlo College's Kepua Lee (2004-08).
Sarina Nagra is top ten in program history with 10.6 PPG (8th), 64 three-pointers (T-8th), a .340 three-point field goal percentage (5th), and a .750 free throw percentage (9th).
Megan Williams is ranked third in program history with a .506 field goal percentage.
Leilani Blecha and Paloma Ramirez are seventh and tenth in program history with 87 career three-pointers and 60 career three-pointers, respectively. Blecha is also eighth with a .322 three-point field goal percentage.
Jazzy Beltran is eighth with 27.4 minutes per game and 2.2 assists per game.
STARTING FIVE
Nicole Lukito is the only Bobcat to start all 17 games for UC Merced. Sarina Nagra has started 16 games.
Jazzy Beltran, Leilani Blecha, and Paloma Ramirez have started at least ten games. Beltran had started ten consecutive games before missing the Chico State game.
The Bobcats have used eleven different starting lineups overall.
Ten different Bobcats have made one start.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
UC Merced played its toughest nonconference schedule in the Kellie Bernard era. Of the Bobcats nonconference opponents, Southern Oregon is currently ranked fourth in the NAIA Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll and Oregon Tech is ranked No. 23. The Bobcats played both of those teams on the road. UC Merced also played Chico State and Sonoma State on the road and both of those two opponents have combined to go 16-7 in the CCAA. The Bobcats fell by single digits in both outings.
SCOUTING WESTCLIFF
Westcliff is 7-4 on the year and are 2-1 in Cal Pac play most recently coming off a 53-38 win over Cal Maritime on January 25. Westcliff is averaging 56.4 PPG overall, but are holding opponents to just 49.8 PPG.
Westcliff is top five in the NAIA in three defensive categories, including ranking second in scoring defense allowing just the 49.8 opponents PPG. Westcliff is ranked fourth in the NAIA with 14.7 steals per game and third forcing 25.8 turnovers per game.
Head coach Andre Wallace is in his first season leading the Warriors, taking the helm after serving as the senior associate head coach for Westcliff men's basketball. Wallace was on the men's staff for the Warriors 2023 Cal Pac Tournament Championship.
Hayley Berfield is the Warriors leading scorer and she is second in the Cal Pac averaging 15.1 PPG. A two-way player, Berfield is also second in the Cal Pac with 3.5 SPG.
Jayla Reliford is a do-it-all guard leading the league with 3.6 SPG and is second with 3.4 APG. Reliford, a transfer from Park Gilbert, is also sixth with 6.9 RPG. She scores at a 8.1 PPG clip.
Chloe Wright (7.9 PPG/.453 FPG) and Elaine Rivera (6.2 PPG/39.4 3-PT FGP) are also players to watch.
Westcliff is 4-7 all-time against UC Merced.
Thursday marks Westcliff's first true road game since December 10, a 47-46 loss at CalTech. Overall, the Warriors are 3-3 on the road but haven't left SoCal for a regular season game since November 16.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES
La Sierra University is 7-7 on the year and 3-0 in Cal Pac play most recently coming off an 83-46 win over Pacific Union College. The Golden Eagles 83 points marked their most since December 1. They come in averaging 59.8 PPG.
Head coach Kevin Mitchell is in his seventh season leading the Golden Eagles and has a record of 89-105. Mitchell has guided his squad to a pair of Cal Pac Tournament berths, most recently in the 2021-22 season.
Kadyn Mew is the Golden Eagles top player and she is ranked sixth in the Cal Pac averaging 12.8 PPG. She is tied for third with 2.8 assists per game and is seventh with 1.9 steals per game. Mew is the Golden Eagles only double digit scorer.
Sonia Randall is a strong presence in the paint grabbing the second most rebounds of any Cal Pac player while averaging 8.9 RPG. Offensively, she is up to 8.6 PPG.
Julianna Horne is a threat from downtown ranking second with a .405 three-point field goal percentage and is tied for sixth with 17 three-pointers. She averages 7.0 PPG.
Breonna Martinez (9.6 PPG/81.1 FPT) and Symere Shelton (4.0 RPG/1.0 SPG) are also players to watch.
As a team, La Sierra is the Cal's Pac's best rebounding group with 47.8 RPG and they are also ranked first defensively allowing opponents to shoot just 33% from the floor and 23% from three-point range. The Golden Eagles are second limiting opponents to 60.5 PPG and are third with 9.8 SPG and 2.2 BPG.
La Sierra is 8-15 all-time against UC Merced.
La Sierra, who begins a two-game road trip at Simpson tonight, is 3-4 on the road this season. The squad hasn't left SoCal for a road game all season.
The Golden Eagles are on a five-game winning streak overall.
