SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — The Dominican University of California women's basketball team mounted a double-digit lead in the first half and held on, 65-57, to best Chaminade on Thursday night in the Conlan Center.

Dominican led wire-to-wire thanks to a 6-0 run over the first four minutes and led by nine at halftime. The Penguins, who entered the game tied for 31st in NCAA Division II scoring defense at 36.0 percent, limited Chaminade to 34.3 percent (23-of-67) shooting, including a stifling 28.1 percent (9-of-32) in the first half. Allyssa Weatherd's fast break to begin second-half scoring put Dominican up by 11. Danielle Yamauchi's pair of free throws at the six-minute mark gave Dominican its largest lead of the night at 14. Things got a little dicey in the final minute when the Silverswords trimmed an 11-point lead to six on a Kristle Henry three-pointer. With 33 seconds to go, Chaminade pressed and Carly Holboke broke the press for the fast break layup to put the lead back to eight and out of reach.

Sarah Nelson finished with 19 points, 13 in the first half, eight rebounds, and two assists. The senior center, who leads NCAA Division II in blocked shots per game (5.0), added four to her season total, bringing her up to 79. Weatherd came alive in the second half. After scoring four points in the first half, she went 5-for-7 in the second half and finished with 18 points, nine rebounds, three steals, and an assist. Carly Holboke added 11 points and six rebounds. Yamauchi did a little bit of everything. The senior guard scored six points, pulled down nine rebounds, dished out six assists, and came up with three steals in a team-high 35 minutes.

Lilia Maio scored a team-high 19 points for the Silverswords. Henry added 17 points and Glacen Forita added 10 points.

After the game, as part of "Academic Night," the Penguins' student-athletes were recognized for their dedication in the classroom and Dominican's fifth consecutive PacWest Academic Achievement Award. Director of Athletics Brandon Leimbach, Senior Advisor for Strategy and Planning Hannah Rodriguez-Farrar, and Faculty Athletics Representative Dr. Christopher Leeds presented the award to PSAAC President and women's softball player, senior Kayla Rodriguez.

On Thursday, Jan. 29 the Penguins host Dixie State in the annual #BLACKOUT. All fans are encouraged to show their support for the Penguins by wearing black to the game. The women are set to begin at 5:30 p.m. Live coverage will be available at dominicnathletics.com/live with audio provided by radio.dominican.edu.