FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno Pacific University women's basketball team was tripped up on Friday evening, falling 76-64 against UC Merced.

"This team had a good night shooting the ball, and we didn't do ourselves any favors. We fought our way back into the game as we have so many times this year," head coach Tim Beauregard said. "I'm proud of our team for battling until the end."
 
The Bobcats controlled the opening tip, and Brittany Martinez gave the visitors their first lead 21 seconds into the game. Freshman Ashley Cross quickly got the Sunbirds on the board, turning in the first bucket of a career scoring night.
 
UC Merced shot a remarkable 55% from the floor in the first half, cruising to a 39-26 lead at the intermission. Cross again gave the Blue and Orange their opening bucket of the half, going coast-to-coast for an easy layup after forcing a steal.
 
Bree Alvarez and Megan Lee connected on back-to-back three-pointers late in the fourth quarter to pull the Sunbirds within seven, but FPU was forced to play the foul game down the stretch. The last six Bobcat points of the night came from the charity stripe, helping them escape with their sixth victory of the year.
 
Cross led all scorers with a career-high 20 points on an 8-of-11 shooting effort while also picking up five of the team's nine steals. Lee matched her season-best with 18 points, including 15 from behind the arc, while Alvarez totaled 11 points, four assists and three steals.
 
For the Bobcats, Christina Castro went for 19 points as one of four players in double-figures. Courtney Danna added 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds to round out her first double-double of the season.
 
Fresno Pacific is back in action on Tuesday, when they welcome in Dixie State for a PacWest Conference showdown to begin the new calendar year. Tipoff from the Special Events Center is slated for 5:30 p.m.

"We have every piece we need to make some noise in our next stretch of games, and will stick together and continue to fight," Beauregard said. "When we start to figure out how to start games with the same focus and determination that we finish with, we will give ourselves a chance."