SEASIDE, Calif. — The University of California, Merced women's basketball team battled through an early Otters surge, but could not overcome the fast start by Cal State Monterey Bay, falling 73-62 on Thursday evening at The Kelp Bed.
The Bobcats (6-14, 3-10 CCAA) had a strong opening quarter, but the margin grew early as the Otters knocked down a barrage of three-pointers. UC Merced outscored Cal State Monterey Bay in the fourth quarter and trimmed a 21-point deficit to single digits, but the comeback effort fell short.
Mariah Flores led UC Merced in scoring with 14 points, shooting 56% (5-9) from the field and 67% (2-3) from three-point range. She also added two rebounds and two assists.
Sarina Nagra finished with 11 points on an efficient 80% (4-5) shooting from the floor to go along with one rebound and one steal.
Nicole Lukito contributed nine points to go along with a game-high 15 rebounds, one block, and one assist.
Elise LeBeau scored eight points, tying a season high with two made three-pointers. Her eight points also match a season-high, something she has done four times this season. She added three rebounds, three assists and one steal, extending her steal streak to seven consecutive games.
Other notables include Paloma Ramirez, who recorded eight points, six rebounds and two steals, and Quinn Godfrey, who finished with six points, three rebounds, one block and one steal. Jazzy Beltran added three assists.
The Otters struck first just seconds into the contest, but Ixchel Rojo Valdez responded immediately with a steal and fast-break layup to make it 3-2 in the opening moments. Cal State Monterey Bay answered with an 8-0 run over the next minute, knocking down back-to-back three-pointers and adding another basket to push the lead to 11-2 at the 7:45 mark. Godfrey ended the run with a layup assisted by Lukito. The teams traded baskets on the next possessions, with Flores connecting on a jumper at 6:23 to make it 13-6. CSUMB connected from deep again, sinking back-to-back three-pointers to extend the advantage to 19-6. UC Merced scored the next two baskets, one from Flores and another from Godfrey off an assist from LeBeau, trimming the deficit to 19-10. The Otters followed up with three straight scores to take the largest lead of the quarter at 25-10. The Bobcats would score five unanswered points with LeBeau and Lukito converting at the line and Nagra adding a basket. Flores knocked down UC Merced's lone three-pointer of the quarter with just under a minute remaining to pull the Bobcats back within single digits. Cal State Monterey Bay ended the quarter with a buzzer-beater, taking a 29-18 lead into the second quarter.
Cal State Monterey Bay opened the second quarter with a quick basket to extend the lead, and the Bobcats found their first points of the period at the 8:12 mark when Flores knocked down both free throws to make it 31-20. The Otters scored on the ensuing possession, but LeBeau responded with a three-pointer assisted by Flores to cut the deficit to 33-23. The Otters followed with seven straight points to stretch the lead to 17. With under four minutes remaining in the half, Lukito grabbed her own rebound and finished inside to stop the run and make it 40-25. Sydney Corder Boyd converted a layup off an assist from Beltran with just over two minutes left, sparking a 6-0 Bobcat run to close the half. Lukito added a free throw, and Flores buried a three-pointer with 19 seconds remaining. The Otters carried a 42-31 lead into halftime.
Godfrey scored the first points of the second half to trim the deficit to single digits at 42-33. Cal State Monterey Bay answered on the ensuing possession, but Ramirez responded with a three-pointer at 7:25 to once again pull UC Merced within single digits. The Otters seized momentum, knocking down back-to-back three-pointers to push the lead back to 14. Nagra finished through contact and completed a three-point play inside the five-minute mark to make it 50-39, but it would be the Bobcats' final made field goal of the quarter. Lukito split a pair of free throws with 1:30 remaining, while CSUMB closed the period on an 8-1 run to take a 58-40 lead into the fourth quarter.
Cal State Monterey Bay opened the fourth quarter with a three-pointer to push the lead to 21, the largest of the game. Lukito responded moments later with a tough finish in the paint, drawing contact and completing a three-point play. LeBeau then knocked down a three-pointer at the 8:33 mark off an assist from Beltran to cut the deficit to 61-46. After a scoreless two minutes, Cal State Monterey Bay converted a basket, but the Bobcats answered with a Ramirez layup assisted by Flores. With 5:30 remaining, the Otters added another layup to make it 65-48. LeBeau split a pair of free throws, igniting a seven-point surge as Ramirez and Nagra connected on back-to-back three-pointers, both assisted by LeBeau, to trim the margin to 65-55. Inside the final three minutes, the teams traded baskets with Salzler scoring a layup, Nagra knocking down a three-pointer and Flores adding a basket with 19 seconds remaining. UC Merced was forced to foul down the stretch, and Cal State Monterey Bay sealed the game at the line and with a late layup to secure the 73-62 victory.
Despite the loss, the Bobcats finished with a higher shooting percentage than the Otters but lost the turnover battle 21-12. The Bobcats shot 44% from the field, 53% (8-15) from three-point range, and 62.5% from the line.
Up next, UC Merced will travel to San Marcos, Calif. to take on Cal State San Marcos on Saturday, January 31. Tipoff is set for 1:00 p.m. inside The Sports Center.
