A big fourth-quarter comeback was the difference as UC Santa Cruz rallied for a 64-54 win over UC Merced Friday afternoon at the West Field House.
The Banana Slugs improved to 5-1 with their fourth-straight win, outscoring the Bobcats 23-10 in the final quarter.
Ashley Kowack scored nine of her team-high 18 points in the fourth quarter as UC Santa Cruz controlled every facet of the game in the last ten minutes.
Kowack also had a season-high 9 rebounds.Â
Tess Oakley-Stilson had a career-high 16 points and
Amanda Inserra scored 12.
Kaylee Murphy finished with 8 points along with team highs of 14 rebounds and 5 assists, despite playing a quarter with four fouls.
Aubrey Wagner had a career-high six steals. The Banana Slugs pulled off a 13-0 run in the first 3:34 of the quarter to take back the game from their scrappy UC rivals.
Cierra McClain led the Bobcats (6-6) with 12 points. However the visitors were just 1-13 from the field in the pivotal fourth quarter.
UC Santa Cruz finishes the weekend taking on Division III Colorado College Sunday afternoon at KP Arena.
