SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – Dominican men's basketball kept the game close, but was unable to hold its early lead falling 61-74 Wednesday to Chico State at the Conlan Center.
Senior forward
Cedric Thomas pushed his streak as Dominican's leading scorer to three, accounting for 17 points for the Penguins (5-6). Thomas has led Dominican in scoring in nine of its 11 games. Graduate transfer
Ezra Talbert knocked down 4-of-7 shots to end the night with 12 points and six rebounds.
Kevin Warren led the Wildcats (3-3) with 17 points and five rebounds, shooting 3 of 6 from 3-point range. Isaiah Brooks followed closely behind with 14 points, three rebounds and three assists for Chico State.
Chico State and the Penguins were neck-and-neck throughout the first seven minutes of regulation. Marvin Timothy ran through the paint for a layup and drew the foul for a 3-point play to give the Wildcats a four point advantage. The Penguins came alive after the run, as
Jared Harper knocked down a shot behind the arc and an offensive rebound and tip-in from Talbert evened the score at 16. Dominican continued with the momentum ending with an 8-2 run to extend its lead to 24-18 with 7:49 left in the half.
With 3:01 on the clock, Timothy cut through the key and got hacked from behind after collecting his own offensive rebound to get to the charity stripe and knock down a free throw to tie the game at 24. Thomas answered quickly on the other end of the court, edging his defender down the lane for a hook shot to retake the slim lead.
Dominican whipped the ball around the perimeter to find
Jordan Williams for a midrange jumper with under a minute, but it was quickly matched on the other end by Warren to send Chico State into the half with the 31-30 lead.
Sam Averbuck led Dominican out of the locker room with a step-back 3-pointer from the corner to retake the lead, but it was Malik Duffy who drove straight to the rim to lay one in and tie the game at 33. The Wildcat's found a rhythm, and utilized their size to take back the lead, best exemplified by Justin Briggs' one-handed tip-in to draw a foul.
Warren went on a 5-0 run himself, pump-faking to get his defender in the air before connecting for two and following up with a 3-pointer on the left wing to give Chico State a 43-36 advantage. The Cougars led by as many as 15 points down the stretch.
The Penguins will take an 11-day break for the holidays, and will return to action on New Year's Eve to cap off 2018 with a conference matchup against the University of Hawai'i at Hilo. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. PST, and live video and stats will be available online.
