SAN FRANCISCO - The University of California, Merced women's basketball team fell 63-53 to San Francisco State on Thursday evening inside the San Francisco Federal Credit Union Gymnasium. The Bobcats dropped to 8-20 overall and 5-16 in CCAA play.
Sarina Nagra led the Bobcats with 18 points on 50% (8-16) shooting and had three steals. She made two three-pointers and became just the second player in program history with 60 or more three-point field goals in a season, joining only Shelby Howard. Nagra also tied Courtney Danna for tenth in program history with 63 career starts.
Nicole Lukito posted her second straight double-double and 14th of the season, finishing with 10 points and 10 rebounds. She continues to move up the record books and has now passed Christina Castro for third in program history with 1,102 career points. She made her 69th career start, which ties Castro and Mia Shannon for seventh all-time.
Elise LeBeau scored eight points and grabbed four boards to go along with three assists and a steal. LeBeau now has four consecutive games with at least three assists.
Paloma Ramirez contributed five points, three assists and three rebounds. Thursday marked her 103rd career game, good for second on the program's all-time list after passing Castro. She also tied Brittany Martinez with 73 career starts.
Jazzy Beltran recorded four points, three assists, and a season-high three steals. She passed Shelby Howard for ninth in program history with 157 career assists.
Other notables include five rebounds and two blocks from Quinn Godfrey and four points from Mariah Flores.
Nagra opened the scoring with a layup at the 9:02 mark and accounted for the Bobcats' first eight points of the game. San Francisco State connected from deep on their opening possession to briefly take a 3-2 lead, but UC Merced regained control behind three consecutive baskets from Nagra. The Gators were limited to one triple for over four minutes of play. Flores connected from beyond the arc midway through the quarter to push the lead to 11-3. Back-to-back scores from San Francisco State cut the lead to a single possession, but Beltran came up with a steal and took it all the way to make it 13-8. The Gators tied the game at 13 on a three-pointer with 30 seconds remaining, but Lukito regained the lead from the foul line in the closing seconds. The Bobcats carried a 15-13 into the second quarter.
UC Merced scored the first four points of the second quarter after nearly five minutes of scoreless play by both teams. Godfrey grabbed an offensive rebound and found Nagra for the first basket at the 5:19 mark, and then later she scored off an assist from Ramirez to extend the lead to 19-13. Godfrey added another score and Ramirez followed with a basket at 3:36, but the Gators put up 10 unanswered points to flip the lead and take a 25-23 advantage. LeBeau stopped the run and tied the game at 25 with one minute remaining, but San Francisco State answered on the ensuing possession to regain the lead. Lukito split a pair at the free throw line with five seconds remaining, and San Francisco State led 27-26 at halftime.
San Francisco State scored two quick baskets out of the break to go up 31-26 in the opening minute. Nagra got the Bobcats going at 7:51 with a layup, and after a Gator three-pointer, UC Merced responded with six straight points. Flores found LeBeau for a jumper in the paint to cap the run and tie the game at 34. Ten consecutive points from San Francisco State stretched the lead to double-digits, 44-34. LeBeau ended the drought by sinking two at the line, sparking a 9-0 spurt for the Bobcats, pulling within a single point, 44-43 at the 1:18 mark. The Gators answered with a three-pointer on the ensuing possession, and that was the final basket of the frame. San Francisco State was in front 47-43 heading into the final quarter.
The teams traded baskets in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter as the Gators knocked down two three-pointers while Lukito answered with back-to-back scores to make it 53-47 at the 7:28 mark. San Francisco State then scored 10 unanswered points over the next five and a half minutes to build the largest lead of the night at 63-47. Lukito halted the run with her only three-pointer of the game inside the final two minutes, and Ramirez added her lone triple with 17 seconds remaining, but the Bobcats would come up short, 63-53.
Despite the loss, the Bobcats forced 16 Gator turnovers and limited San Francisco State to just a .319 field goal percentage.
Up next, the Bobcats close out the season on the road against Cal State East Bay on Saturday, February 28. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30pm inside the Pioneer Gymnasium in Hayward, Calif.
