UC Merced falls to No. 1 Morningside in NAIA Division II tourney opener

Second consecutive trip to the NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball Championship tournament, same result for UC Merced.

The Bobcats were blown out by No. 1 Morningside of Iowa 93-64 in a first-round game Wednesday afternoon in Sioux City, Iowa. UC Merced also lost to Morningside 79-45 last year in its first appearance in the championship tournament. Morningside went on to win the title.

UC Merced (11-15) entered the tournament riding its second consecutive California Pacific Conference championship, but the Bobcats were no match for Morningside (32-2). UC Merced shot 30 percent from the field (22 for 74); Morningside shot 48 percent (37 for 77). UC Merced was 9 for 29 from three-point range (31 percent).

Morningside used a 10-0 run late in the second quarter to turn a six-point lead after the first period into a 49-26 halftime bulge. UC Merced trailed 77-46 after three quarters.

Senior Shelby Howard led the Bobcats with 18 points in her final game, including nine in the final 7:13. Freshman Aubrey Hayes came off the bench to score 14 points for UC Merced, including 4-of-5 shooting from three-point range. Junior Brittany Martinez grabbed 13 rebounds and senior Jecenia Trinidad 10 for the Bobcats, who were outrebounded by Morningside 59-40. Trinidad also had eight points and five of UC Merced’s 13 assists.

This story was originally published March 9, 2016 at 6:23 PM with the headline "UC Merced falls to No. 1 Morningside in NAIA Division II tourney opener."