Box Score SAN RAFAEL, Calif. –  Despite a team-high six rebounds and game-high three steals by Salonika Quewon-Owens, the Dominican University of California women's basketball team couldn't overcome a pair of scoring droughts on Saturday night and dropped a 51-38 decision to Grand Canyon University, the 13th ranked team in NCAA Division II.

Kimi Nakamura netted three consecutive three-point shots in the last four minutes of the contest for the Lady Penguins (5-18/4-11) to score a team-best 13 points. But Dominican went more than 10 minutes without scoring in the second half against the first-place Antelopes (21-5/13-2), who lead the Pacific West Conference in defensive scoring. The Lady Penguins, who lost to Grand Canyon by 42 points the last time the two teams played, were behind by only 13 points with 13 minute to play when they went into a shooting slump.

“I was really pleased with our effort tonight,” said Head Coach Brianna Chambers. “We had some good looks, but we just didn't get the ball to fall. I'm proud of how hard our players played tonight.”

Saddled with foul problems, Jasmine Cox managed to contribute nine points, three blocked shots and five rebounds for the Penguins against Grand Canyon, which came into the game leading the nation in rebounding margin.

Dominican attempted eight more shots than the Antelopes and recorded a season-low 13 turnovers, yet the Lady Penguins couldn't avoid losing their eighth straight game. However, during the losing streak, they have held halftime leads three times and trailed by eight or fewer points in three others.

Quewon-Owens was the catalyst behind the Penguins' best stretch of the first half. After slow-starting Dominican fell behind 7-1, Quewon-Owens muscled inside to grab an offensive rebound and put it back for the Penguins' first hoop then, on the defensive end, she blocked a shot by Grand Canyon's Judy Jones. That play led to a Nakamura floater that caused the Antelopes to call timeout.

Then, with 11:24 remaining in the opening half,  Cox scored when Danielle Yamauchi passed out of a double team. At that point, the Penguins were trailing only 9-7 and rebounding with the Antelopes, who came into the game No. 1 in the country in rebounding margin (plus 13.8).

Jones, a transfer from NCAA Div. I University of Texas-San Antonio and Grand Canyon's leading scorer, didn't manage to get off a shot with Quewon-Owens guarding her. Jones, in fact, didn't attempt a field goal until the 9:11 mark of the first half and didn't net her first basket until the 7:48 mark. She still finished with a game-high 15 points.

However, Dominican went almost six minutes without a field goal and ended shooting only 25 percent in the first half and trailed 27-15. They had only six field goals in the first half, three coming in the span of 1:50. Cox (seven) had almost half of those points and Quewon-Owen had five of Dominican's 13 rebounds.

The Lady Penguins travel to San Francisco on Tuesday to play Academy of Art University at Kezar Pavilion. Game time is 5:30 p.m.