Big quarter propels UC Merced back into NAIA basketball tournament

Sarah Hopkins-Chery felt it was just a matter of time.

Her UC Merced women’s basketball team was getting the better looks in the first half of Tuesday night’s California Pacific Conference tournament championship game. The Bobcats were just struggling to finish them, hitting just 11 of 36 shots.

Hopkins-Chery was confident her squad had far too much scoring ability for that trend to continue. UC Merced validated her faith by making shots on five of its first six possessions in the second half. Once the shots started falling, they didn’t stop.

The Bobcats couldn’t seem to miss in the third quarter, pushing their lead to 25. Host Cal Maritime didn’t get closer than 15 the rest of the way, and UCM cruised to its second consecutive Cal Pac title with a 76-56 victory.

The win completed a 10-0 run through the Cal Pac regular season and tournament, earning the Bobcats their second consecutive automatic berth to the NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball Championship. The Bobcats will play overall No. 1 seed and defending-champion Morningside (Iowa) on March 9 in the first round.

“It’s cliché, but defense wins championships,” Hopkins-Chery said. “We did not get the fast start we’d hoped for, but my girls turned in 40 minutes of defense. I knew as long as we maintained that, we were going to be in good shape.

“We were definitely getting the better looks in the first half; we just didn’t make them. The second half we came out and executed a little better and were able to break it open.”

Defense dominated the first half as the referees allowed both teams to play physically. While UC Merced (11-14) had trouble getting into an offensive flow, the Bobcats held Maritime to 26 percent shooting in the first half.

Merced found a rhythm toward the end of the second quarter. Cal Pac MVP Courtney Danna (game-high 26 points) and Jecenia Trinidad (11 points, 10 rebounds, four steals) forced turnovers and converted in transition as the Bobcats took a 29-21 halftime lead.

Hopkins-Chery’s squad had the title all but wrapped up five minutes into the second half. The Bobcats took the court with an extra burst of energy, converting baskets on five of their first six possessions during a 14-2 run. A Maritime timeout did little to slow UCM. Danna’s three-pointer pushed the lead to 50-25 with just under five minutes to play in the quarter.

“Just the first bucket got us going, and then we hit more,” said Danna, who had eight rebounds and four assists. “That just led to more buckets and got us a big lead, which we needed. It also depleted their confidence, because they knew that once we started going, it was over.”

With its full complement of players suited up for one of the rare times this season, UC Merced spread its contributions. Freshman forward Aubrey Hayes, playing in just her 12th game because of injury, had 10 points and five rebounds off the bench. Center Brittany Martinez had 15 points, seven rebounds and four blocks.

Maritime didn’t have an answer, with forward Haleigh Lis (13 points) the only player in double digits.

“Coach made it simple. She told us to get into them defensively,” Trinidad said. “Our defense has been one of our strongest points all season, and it helped get the offense going today.

“I loved this performance. Everybody was into it and contributing. Our bench was up and cheering us on. And then to have an entire section of the bleachers filled with our fans, put it over the top.”

This story was originally published March 1, 2016 at 11:03 PM with the headline "Big quarter propels UC Merced back into NAIA basketball tournament."