Larocca's late free throws seal Penguins' win

Box Score BELMONT, Calif. -- Dominican women's basketball won a tight contest on the road Wednesday, defeating Notre Dame de Namur 68-66 at Walter Gleason Gymnasium.

Junior Natalie Diaz led the way for the Penguins (14-5, 8-3 PacWest) with 16 points before fouling out in 26 minutes of action. Freshman Julia Razo added 14 points and junior Anjelica Collins finished with nine points and seven rebounds. Marissa Caballero led the Argonauts (9-10, 6-5 PacWest) with 16 points.

The two teams went back-and-forth in the first quarter, with Dominican taking a 17-12 lead on a jumper from Diaz with just over three minutes remaining in the frame. A last-second layup from Razo allowed the Penguins to take a 19-13 advantage after the first period.

Diaz stretched Dominican's lead back out to seven with a jumper early in the second quarter. NDNU began to chip away but a 3-pointer from Razo put the Penguins ahead 36-29 late in the frame. Sophomore Marisa Mondave gave Dominican a 39-31 advantage at the half, their largest lead of the game to that point.

Scott hit a layup in the Penguins' first possession out of the break, extending the lead to double-digits. A 10-0 run for the Argonauts, capped by a layup form Aaliyah Monroe, cut NDNU's deficit to 44-43. Scott ended the run with a triple but a few minutes later, the Argonauts took a 50-48 on a 3-pointer from Lindsay Bates. The game was knotted at 54-54 going into the final frame.

Dominican quickly took a 58-54 lead on a layup from Diaz but NDNU followed with an 8-0 run to regain the lead at 62-58. With just under three minutes left in the game, Scott tied it at 66-66 with a layup before both teams went cold from there. After the Penguins missed a 3-pointer with 33 seconds left, the Argonauts grabbed the rebound and called timeout. It appeared NDNU would have the last possession of the regulation but they turned the ball over with just five seconds left. Coming out of the break, freshman Sydney Larocca was fouled and went to the free throw line with just three seconds remaining in a tie game. She promptly knocked in both attempts, giving the Penguins a 68-66 lead. The Argonauts last-second attempt missed and Dominican came away with the win.

The Penguins shot 41.9 percent for the game and forced 27 turnovers, leading to 21 points.

Dominican takes the court again Saturday at home as part PacWest double-header against Academy of Art, with tip-off at 2 p.m. Live stats and video will be available online.

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Players Mentioned

#12 Anjelica Collins: G; 5' 5"; Junior

#24 Natalie Diaz: G; 5' 11"; Junior

#34 Marisa Mondave: G; 5' 9"; Sophomore

#21 Sydney Larocca: G; 5' 7"; Freshman

#25 Julia Razo: G; 6' 0"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#12 Anjelica Collins
: 5' 5"; Junior
: G

#24 Natalie Diaz
: 5' 11"; Junior
: G

#34 Marisa Mondave
: 5' 9"; Sophomore
: G

#21 Sydney Larocca
: 5' 7"; Freshman
: G

#25 Julia Razo
: 6' 0"; Freshman
: G