SAN FRANCISCO — The Dominican University of California men's basketball team defeated PacWest Conference rival Academy of Art 61-51 Thursday night, avenging a home loss to the Urban Knights in the Igloo on January 7.
 
With historic Kezar Pavilion suffering issues with the heating system, the Penguins felt right at home within the chilly confines, riding the hot hand of junior Jeremiah Gray to victory.
 
The choppy first half featured fifteen turnovers between the two teams and was highlighted by runs from both sides. Dominican (5-12/4-7 PacWest) caught fire early as Ryo Tawatari and Jeremiah Gray both dropped in three-pointers before a Gray layup and Henry Uwadiae dunk gave the Penguins a 10-1 advantage.
 
After the hot start, four different Urban Knights scored to cut the deficit to four on a layup by Uchenna Okeneme. Dominican responded with back-to-back three-pointers by Gray to make it 26-13. Academy of Art then fought back once again with a 7-0 run of their own before a Dominican timeout and timely free-throws from reserve Russell Davis stopped the Urban Knight onslaught. The two teams traded buckets over the final three minutes of the half with the Penguins leading 31-23 at the intermission, despite shooting just 33%.
 
ART U (4-11/3-6 PacWest) opened the second half with a renewed energy and swarming defense, scoring seven straight points before the Penguins righted the ship with a Reverend Maduakor steal and layup.
 
With 15:24 remaining in the game and Dominican clinging to a 35-34 lead, a scuffle under the ART U basket resulted in multiple Dominican fouls and the Urban Knights taking their first lead of the game.
 
However, back-to-back three-pointers by Josh Ramirez and Gray quickly put the Penguins back in front 41-38 with twelve minutes to play. Clutch baskets from senior captains Ramirez and Tawatari were enough to keep Dominican in front the rest of the way as they shot 84% from the free-throw line.

The depth and balance of both teams were on display all night as eighteen players scored in the game, but only two reached double-figures. The stifling Dominican defense held the Urban Knights without a double-digit scorer until the final minute.
 
Gray led the way for the Penguins with 22 points, making all six of his free-throw attempts. Tawatari added 9 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. Ramirez and Uwadiae each scored 6 points while combining for 16 rebounds.
 
Dominican will return home to the Conlan Center this Saturday as they host No. 11 California Baptist. The women tip off at 5:30 p.m. followed by the men at 7:30 p.m. on Welcome Back Alumni Night.