SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – Dominican women's basketball withstood a determined Notre Dame de Namur for a 57-50 victory Wednesday night at the Conlan Center.

The Argonauts  (4-14, 3-11 PacWest) routinely ran off 20 seconds on their shot clock to shorten the game and throw the Penguin (15-3, 12-2 PacWest) offense off their preferred pace. Dominican rebounded from a poor shooting first half to finish hitting 43.1 percent of its shots from the field, while holding NDNU to 33.9 percent.

Senior forward Natalie Diaz led the Penguins with 31 points and nine rebounds, while sophomore guard Sydney Larocca finished with 11 points. Senior guard Anjelica Collins added 10 rebounds while battling down low most of the game.

The game started as the teams traded points for most of the first quarter. Taylor Bates broke the streak with a 3-pointer with 4:12 remaining to put NDNU in front and they led 12-9 heading to the second. Dominican battled back and Vanessa Cruz tied the game at 14 with a 3-pointer from the left corner, but Bates answered on the other end with one of her own. 

Diaz then heated up and scored five unanswered for the Penguins including her second three of the game to give Dominican a 22-20 lead with 3:25 left in the half. Sharon Roldan hit a 3-pointer from the left corner to break a tie and give NDNU a 25-22 lead, but Diaz threaded a pass between two defenders to a cutting Larocca to make it 25-24 at the break.

Diaz scored four points to start the quarter for the Penguins and help them regain a slim 28-27 lead. After Dominican forced a few turnovers, Diaz again powered inside for a layup to up the lead to 31-27 at the first media timeout of the half. 

Cruz found a cutting Larocca and Larocca added a beautiful spin and layup off the glass on the next possession to push the Penguin lead to 35-29 with 2:38 remaining in the period. NDNU went on an 8-2 run capped by a 3-pointer from Roldan with seconds left on the clock to cut its deficit to 39-37 heading to the final period.

Diaz and Larocca each had layups to begin the fourth quarter and extend the lead to six, but the Argonauts would not allow it to grow from there to keep the game within two possessions. Bates hit a 3-pointer from the left corner to make it a one possession game, but Alanna Scott provided the answer with a make from behind the arc on the other end to make it 48-42 with 4:31 remaining. 

After an NDNU layup, Larocca again dashed the Argonaut hopes of momentum with a reverse layup with 2:30 left on the clock to keep the lead at six. It was all the space Dominican needed as it sealed the game from the free-throw line.

The Penguins will begin an extended road swing Friday at Academy of Art at 5 p.m. PST at Kezar Pavilion. Live stats and video will be available online.