Box Score SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — Playing the final home game of his Dominican University of California men's basketball career, Xander McNally left the Conlan Center on “Senior Night” on Saturday as a double winner.

McNally scored 11 points, set up teammate Jacob Noisat for the go-ahead basket with 1:17 to play and grabbed a clutch offensive rebound off a missed free throw to rally the Penguins (10-18/9-8) to a 69-64 Pacific West Conference victory over the University of Hawai'i, Hilo. The Branson School of Ross product also had a season-tying seven steals against the Vulcans (8-16/2-14), pushing him back into the nation's lead in that statistical category in NCAA Division II. He passed Jamiko Verner of Adams State in Colorado.

On Friday night at home, Verner had a career-high eight steals (the most steals recorded by an Adams State player in a game in more than 15 years) but had only one steal on Saturday night in the final regular-season home game of his career.

McNally, who has one game remaining at California Baptist next Saturday, has 99 steals in 25 games, four more than Verner in the same number of contests. But the victory over UHH is one McNally will never forget.

“I talked to everyone on the team after the game and this was a hugely important win, especially for us seniors,” said McNally, who also had five rebounds and three assists. “This is probably the best we felt after a win since I've been here.”

McNally put the Penguins in front 64-60 with a lane jumper with 3:15 to go but his pass to Noisat produced the biggest hoop of the night. Noisat led Dominican with 12 points and six rebounds, Ricky Wofford added 10 and the Penguins' defense held Hilo scoreless for the final 1:30.

The nine conference wins assures that first-year Head Coach Booker T. Harris and Dominican, picked to finish last in the league in a preseason coaches' poll, will not have a losing record in PacWest play for the first time and could finish as high as fifth place.

“We are playing for something at the end. It may not be for a playoff spot but it's for a good record [in league],” McNally said. “We've been saying since the beginning that this is a different year this year.”

McNally and the two other Dominican seniors honored in pre-game ceremonies, Xavier Muldrow and Mark Lewis, had a big impact on the game in the first half. The hard-working Noisat scored eight of Dominican's first 12 points to drive the Penguins into the lead then the trio of seniors extended it. After a Wofford jumper put Dominican ahead 16-15, Muldrow scored his fifth and sixth points – topping his season-high – then took a charging foul seconds later.

“He was tearing them up in the first five minutes,” McNally said.

 McNally converted that Hilo turnover into a step-back jumper in the lane and Lewis followed that up with a coast-to-coast driving lay-up for a 24-15 advantage, the Penguins' largest lead of the game.

The Penguins finished the half on 9-5 run as McNally had a drive and dunk, Lewis nailed a 3-pointer, McNally scored again and Dartanyon Meggs converted a Lewis miss into an offensive rebound basket with 5.3 seconds to go for a 36-28 lead.

McNally, who came into the game with a per game average of 6.3 points this season, tallied eight points along with four steals and three assists in the opening 20 minutes. He, Muldrow and Lewis combined for 20 of the team's 36 points at intermission.

In the second half, the Penguins maintained an eight-point lead, 40-32, before the Vulcans rallied and closed the gap to one, 40-39.  But McNally recorded his fifth and sixth steals seconds apart to guide Dominican in front 44-39.

However, McNally had to leave the game with a hand injury for a minute and a half and Hilo then went on a 12-2 run to take its biggest lead of the night, 51-46.

The Penguins retaliated, led by Jammall Clark, who had all seven of his points and four of his five rebounds in the second half. They finally regained the lead on Connor Haysbert jumper, a tricky crowd-pleasing Lewis twisting reverse lay-up off a pass by Derek Ober and a Wofford drive following a Lewis steal to go ahead 62-59 with four minutes to play. Dominican scored 13 of the final 18 points in the game.

McNally, Lewis and Muldrow will play the final games of their Dominican careers this Saturday, March 3, when they travel to Muldrow's hometown, Riverside, to play California Baptist. Tipoff is slated for 7:30 p.m.