LOS ANGELES – The University of California, Merced women's basketball team fell 96-75 to Cal State LA on Saturday afternoon.
Mariah Flores led the Bobcats (4-11, 1-7) with a season-high and career-high tying 23 points. The sophomore added six rebounds and a steal.
Nicole Lukito tallied 16 points and ten rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season and 41st of her career. She shot 58% (7-12) from the field and dished out three assists.
Sarina Nagra scored 13 points while knocking down three three-point field goals. She also blocked a shot and was credited with a steal.
Elise LeBeau had six points, a season-high five assists, four rebounds, and two steals.
Quinn Godfrey added six points, four rebounds, three assists, and a block. Godfrey has a block in four consecutive games.
Other notables three steals each from Paloma Ramirez and Ixchel Rojo Valdez. Rojo Valdez's three takeaways tied her career-high. Sydney Corder Boyd had a career-high two steals.
Overall, UC Merced had a season-high 14 steals and forced 18 turnovers.
The Bobcats scored the first six points of the game and led for all but 25 seconds in the opening quarter. Head coach Kellie Bernard's team also led by six points at 13-7 but Cal State LA followed with an 8-2 spurt to tie the game 15-15 late in the frame. Flores broke the tie as the Bobcats led 17-15 going into the second.
The second quarter featured a series of runs, including three runs of six straight points or better. The Bobcats used a 7-2 run and 6-0 run to build its lead to three possessions, but the Golden Eagles answered each run including a 9-0 run that gave Cal State LA its first lead of the game at 33-30 with 2:48 remaining. Rojo Valdez and Nagra each buried a three-pointer in the final two minutes for the Bobcats as the game was tied 36-36 at intermission.
Quarter three was the difference in the game. Cal State LA had its way offensively in the frame scoring on four of its first five possessions and never letting up. The Bobcats battled to keep up but fell behind by double-digits at 53-42 midway through the period. LeBeau scored back-to-back buckets for the Bobcats to cut into the deficit before a 16-6 Cal State LA run over the next three plus minutes made it a 69-52 game. Cal State LA outscored the Bobcats 33-18 overall in the third quarter.
Cal State LA led by at least 14 points the rest of the game and extended its advantage to 20 points just two minutes in, 77-57. The biggest lead of the game was 88-62 inside of three minutes.
The Golden Eagles shot 50% on the day and scored 54 points in the paint. The Bobcats finished with a .411 field goal percentage.
Up next, UC Merced will start a three-game homestand against Cal State East Bay on Thursday, January 15. Tipoff from Hostetler Court inside the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium is set for 5:30pm in Merced, Calif.
