HONOLULU, Hawaii – The University of California, Merced women's basketball team showed resiliency and erased a first-half deficit to beat Hawai'i Pacific 67-57 on Friday night at The Shark Tank to start the two-game Hawai'i road trip.
The Bobcats (2-1) led by as many 16 points in the fourth quarter after trailing by as many as 15 points earlier in the game.
Nicole Lukito delivered another double-double with 22 points and 13 rebounds to lead UC Merced. She shot 66% (10-15) from the field in her second 20+ point outing of the young season and her 11th 20+ point game in her career. With her scoring output, she passed Rainah Smith for seventh in program history with 773 career points.
Paloma Ramirez turned in her third career double-double with 16 points and eleven rebounds. The senior, who also added two steals and a block, shot 66% (4-6) from beyond the arc. Ramirez has hit multiple three-pointers in all three games this year. Her four triples were her most in a game since her freshman season.
Quinn Godfrey neared a triple-double and filled the stat sheet with ten points, nine rebounds, and career-high's of eight assists, three blocks, and two steals.
Sarina Nagra finished with eight points and a career-high tying four steals. Elise LeBeau pitched in six points and two assists, while Jazzy Beltran had three assists and a steal.
Both teams were limited to just one basket in the first four minutes of the game, but HPU got rolling as the first quarter went on and they finished the frame with a 17-2 run to build a 19-7 lead.
The Sharks opened the second quarter with a three-point play to hold their game-high lead of 15 points. Nagra answered with a three-pointer and then Lukito scored back-to-back buckets to get the Bobcats deficit under ten points, 22-14 three minutes into the quarter.
UC Merced kept working and got within four points before the Sharks scored five in a row to go up 30-21. However, the Bobcats finished the half on a 6-0 run of their own highlighted by a Ramirez triple and the Bobcats were down just a possession at the break, 30-27.
Ramirez opened the second half with a three-pointer to tie the game and then head coach Kellie Bernard's team took its first lead of the game on the next possession with a LeBeau triple. HPU jumped back in front 40-37 but the Bobcats countered again, and this time put together a 12-0 run over the final six minutes of the third quarter and led 49-40. Godfrey scored six of the Bobcats 12 points in the surge.
Godfrey made another layup to start the fourth quarter as the Bobcats extended their run 14 straight points. Sydney Boyd capped the run shortly after, officially making it a 16-0 run to put UC Merced up 53-40 with 7:33 left.
The Bobcats led by at least nine points the rest of the game and by as many as 16 points with 2:41 left after a Lukito basket, 65-49.
Both of UC Merced's wins have come by double digits this year.
UC Merced shot a season-best 44.6% in the win and forced a season-high 16 turnovers. The Bobcats limited HPU to just a 31.4% shooting clip and 25.7% from downtown. The Bobcats collected nine steals.
Campbell Mathews made her collegiate debut.
Up next, UC Merced will play at Chaminade on Saturday, November 22. Tipoff from McCabe Gymnasium in Honolulu, HI is scheduled for 2:00pm PST.
