SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – Dominican men's basketball kept it close for the entire game, but fell 73-65 to Azusa Pacific on Monday night at the Conlan Center.

Senior forward Cedric Thomas helped the Penguins (5-5, 1-4 PacWest) stay competitive down the stretch, finishing the game with 20 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore guard Jordan Williams chipped in 13 points to go along with five rebounds, three assists and two steals. But the offensive pressure by Thomas and Williams wasn't enough as the Cougars tallied 19 second chance points, and held Dominican to just 18.8 percent from behind the 3-point line.

Will Ferris powered the Cougars (7-6, 4-2 PacWest) with 22 points, including five 3-pointers, three assists and two rebounds. Selom Mawugbe added 17 points on a perfect 8-for-8 from the field to go with nine rebounds and four blocks for APU.

The Cougars went on an early 7-0 run to take the 13-5 lead after Darien McClain drained a deep 3-pointer from the wing and Jake Spurgeon carried the momentum into the next possession, backing his defender deep into the key to lay one in off glass. Christian Futch ended a cold shooting period for both teams as he hit a jumper from the foul line to cut the Penguins deficit to six. 

The teams traded buckets in a low scoring half and the Penguins began a full-court press to get some quick transition points. Futch forced a turnover and dished the ball to Sam Averbuck to bring the Penguins within three points and then knocked down two free throws on the next possession to cut the deficit to one with 4:42 left in the half. Dominican carried the momentum into the half, as Williams ran the baseline for an up and under and Thomas followed with a layup to make it 30-28 at the break.

Mawugbe quickly became the difference maker for the Cougars in the second half as he slipped a bounce pass with his back turned to a wide-open Gerritt Beetstra for the two-handed dunk. After two offensive boards for APU, Spurgeon sent a cross-court pass to McClain, who was left open at the top of the arc for a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 45-36 and force Dominican to take a timeout. 

The Cougars and Penguins would trade buckets, but the Cougars eventually extended their lead to a game-high 13 when Beetstra stole the ball and cherry-picked it to Ferris for an uncontested layup with nine minutes left in regulation. The Penguins once again found their way back into the game with a 9-2 run, to cut their deficit to 4 with buckets from Williams II and Thomas with 3:42 left in the game. It would not be enough as the Cougars sealed the game from the charity stripe.
 
Dominican will host Chico State for a nonconference matchup Wednesday at 4 p.m. PDT. Dominican Athletics will be working alongside San Rafael Santa Cop to collect toys for the children of Marin, Sonoma and Butte counties this holiday season. With every donation earns you a ticket into the game. Live video and stats will be available online.