SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – Dominican men's basketball overcame an 11-point deficit with 5:13 remaining in regulation to beat Hawai'i Pacific University 85-80 in double overtime at the Conlan Center on Wednesday night.
Junior guard
Sam Averbuck provided the needed spark to help the Penguins (6-7, 2-5 PacWest) edge the Sharks (4-7, 1-5 PacWest). Averbuck recorded 27 points, sinking four 3-pointers and sinking 11-of-12 of his free throws. Senior Forward
Cedric Thomas added a strong presence down low with a double-double of 19 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and two steals. Sophomore forward
Christian Futch also impacted the game late defensively as he finished with five steals and three blocks.
In the second overtime, Thomas slipped a no-look pass to Averbuck on the left elbow and he drew a foul to give Dominican the 81-78 lead on a pair of free-throws with 3:20 remaining. Averbuck then drove the lane and drew another foul before once again going 2-for-2 from the line to give Dominican the 85-80 lead with 19.9 seconds left on the clock. HPU was unable to hit a quick layup on their last possession, and Futch grabbed the rebound to send the Penguins back into the win column.
HPU was led by Spencer Vering's 15 points on 50 percent shooting from the field to go with five assists. Neema Namdar added 16 points and four assists. The Sharks finished shooting 45.3 percent from the field and 45.8 percent from behind the arc, but the Penguins had 14 steals and forced 25 total turnovers to make the difference.
The first half was fast-paced as both teams moved the ball quickly around the court, but neither could team was able to mount any sort of run. Near the 10 minute mark, Darnell Bettis found a cutting Vering for a reverse lay-up and on the ensuing possession Bettis again passed to Vering at the top of the arc for a 3-pointer to take the 16-11 lead.
The Penguins answered quickly as
Jared Harper stripped the ball out of Vering's hands and drained a 3-pointer on the other end to cap a 9-3 run, giving Dominican the 1-point lead with 6:46 left on the clock. The Sharks eventually regained the lead on back-to-back threes by Ronald Blain and David Rowlands to take a 32-30 lead into the locker room.
The Sharks pulled ahead in the first five minutes of the second half on a 9-0 run as Namdar and Jacob Foy made back-to-back shots behind the arc to take an 8-point advantage. The lead grew to 11 after Vering nailed a 3-pointer with 5:13 left in regulation, but Dominican would not fold as it found its rhythm in the final moments of regulation.
Averbuck powered a 13-point Penguin run with six points including a clutch 3-pointer from the wing to give Dominican their first lead of the half at 68-66 with 58 seconds remaining. With 8.7 left on the clock, Bettis used an isolation to beat his man into the paint for a layup to send the game to overtime.
The Penguins will continue their home stand Saturday against Chaminade as they will be celebrating Alumni Night in the Conlan Center. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. PST, and live video and stats will be available online.
