ST. GEORGE, Utah — The Dominican University of California men's basketball team couldn't hold onto an early lead in an eventual 78-59 loss at first-place Dixie State on Wednesday.

Dominican (4-11/3-6 PacWest) held the Trailblazers (11-4/8-1 PacWest) to under 25 percent shooting through the first eight minutes but Dixie State got to the free throw line 18 times in the first half and converted 13 of those attempts to keep the game close. Conversely, the Penguins only attempted eight free throws total.

Up 23-20, the Penguins went 0-for-9 from the field the final six minutes of the first half. The Trailblazers capitalized on the Penguins' struggles and turned the tables with a 14-0 run, which resulted in a 34-23 DSU lead. The Penguins got no closer than seven points in the second half.

Reverend Maduakor led the Penguins with 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Josh Ramirez added 11 points, as did reserve Henry Uwadiae. Josh Armstrong and Jeremiah Gray each added eight points apiece. Maduakor, Uwadiae, and Gray each grabbed six rebounds apiece and Uwadiae had four blocks in the loss.

Trevor Hill led the Trailblazers with 15 points, followed by a dozen from Brandon Simister. Quincy Mathews added 10 points off of the bench.

The schedule gets no easier for the Penguins when they return home on Saturday, Jan. 14. They'll face second-place Hawai'i Pacific (14-1/6-1 PacWest) and the first 100 fans to attend that night's doubleheader will receive a Dominican Basketball t-shirt courtesy of Gold Rush Jewelers. Tipoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. Live stats and pay-per-view video will be available at dominicanathletics.com/live with live audio provided by the student broadcasters of Penguin Radio.