Box Score HILO, Hawai'i — Senior tri-captain Mark Lewis scored a season-high 17 points, one short of his career-high, and the Dominican University of California men's basketball team used a 7-0 run with under five minutes to play to seize a lead it didn't relinquish in a 66-61 victory over the University of Hawai'i, Hilo Saturday night.

The victory, the sixth in the last eight games for the Penguins (9-17/8-7), allowed Dominican to split its four-game Hawai'i road trip for the first time in three years in the Pacific West Conference. Last season, the Penguins went winless on their Hawai'i swing.

The Vulcans (8-13/2-11) suffered their eighth loss in their last nine games, despite a game-high 21 points and game-high 15 rebounds by Zachary Wilde.

For the Penguins, who are now 5-0 this season when holding their opponents to 62 or fewer points, Jammall Clark tallied nine of his 11 points in the second half and Derek Ober added 10 points, including a pair of clutch free throws to give Dominican a six-point lead, 60-54, with 49 seconds remaining. Connor Haysbert, nagged by foul trouble, had eight points and a career-best seven rebounds and Xander McNally had a team-high nine rebounds, seven points, three assists, and three steals to tie Adam State's Jamiko Verner for the nation's lead in steals in NCAA Division II men's basketball.

“That's been our story all year long. We need all those guys to contribute,” said Head Coach Booker T. Harris said. “We needed everyone of those guys to step up to the plate.”

 McNally's final steal and score, with 4:51 to go in the game, ignited the Penguins' comeback. It put them ahead 52-51, the 16th – and last -- lead change in the contest. Jacob Noisat followed with his only basket of the game then freshman Dartanyon Meggs tallied a 3-point play for a 57-51 advantage with 3:59 to go.

Dominican protected the lead after that.

“We did a good job of taking care of the ball [only eight turnovers, three in the first half] and we forced 17 turnovers,” Harris said. “We would have liked to blown it open earlier.”

The Penguins took control of the game early in the contest. Though Dominican ranks seventh in the league in 3-point shooting percentage, the Penguins hit their first three treys by Ober, McNally, and Myles Carrillo. They were leading 19-8 when UHH called timeout with 11:38 left the first half.

The Vulcans soon after went on a 14-4 run to take their first lead of the game. Clark's first basket of the game, at the 4:07 mark, put the Penguins back in front then the game see-sawed back and forth. Free throws by Xavier Muldrow gave Dominican a 30-28 lead but the Penguins had to settle for a 30-30 tie at half. Lewis scored seven of those points.

The Penguins return to the Conlan Center on Thursday, February 23 to host Hawai'i Pacific University in a “Play 4 Kay” breast cancer awareness game. The Penguin Student-Athlete Advisory Committee is selling pink t-shirts for that event, learn more here. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcast at www.dominicanathletics.com/livevideo and http://radio.dominican.edu.