SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – Dominican men's basketball said goodbye to seniors Reverend Maduakor, Jordan Tribble, and Jeremiah Gray on the final game of the season Saturday as the Penguins fell to Fresno Pacific 78-69 at the Conlan Center.
 
Gray led Dominican (5-22, 4-16 PacWest) with 17 points and eight rebounds, while Maduakor contributed 14 points and eight rebounds. Junior Cedric Thomas added 14 points and seven rebounds. Aamonde Coleman led the Sunbirds (7-21, 5-15 PacWest) with a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds.
 
A three-pointer from Maduakor within the first 15 seconds of the game put Dominican on the board first and set up a 10-2 opening run for the Penguins. Coleman drew a foul and hit three free throws to help Fresno Pacific score 15 unanswered points within 2 minutes of play. Jordan Williams ended the scoring drought with a layup and a jumper to put the Penguins down 17-14 with 11:30 left in the half.  Keeping the Sunbirds close, Dominican came back from a 7-point deficit and tied the game 34-34 on a blocked shot from Christian Futch that produced a three-pointer by Maduakor. Gray drew a Fresno Pacific foul and hit both free throws to help put the Penguins up 39-36 going into the second half.
 
The Sunbirds started off the second half with a 4-0 run to take a 42-39 lead. A Jordan Williams 3-pointer tied the game for the Penguins at 44-44, but Fresno Pacific scored 10 unanswered points to put them ahead 60-50 with under 12 minutes left to play. Despite two last-minute exciting dunks from Gray and Maduakor, the Sunbirds held on for the win.