BELMONT, Calif. – Dominican women's basketball opened its 2019-20 season with a 69-60 loss Saturday evening to Sonoma State at Walter Gleason Gymnasium.

Transfer forward Jerusha Paine led the Penguins (0-1) with 16 points and eight rebounds, while Marisa Mondave and Julia Razo each chipped in 12 points. Razo added eight rebounds and five assists in a great all-around game.

The Seawolves (1-0) were led by Ugochi Anudokem's double-double of 23 points and 14 rebounds. Zane Sheckherd chipped in 11 points and five rebounds.

Dominican led briefly in the early minutes as Pain had four quick points with a Mondave jumper making it 8-4 in their favor, but Kim Savio capped off a 9-0 run for Sonoma State with a 3-pointer to take the lead midway through the period. Two minutes later, Sydney Larocca trimmed the Penguins' deficit to one with a pair of makes from the foul-line as the game remained close. Aaryn Picket hit a midrange jumper and Anudokem laid it in with 20 seconds to give the Seawolves the 22-17 lead heading into the second.

Anudokem added three more to start the second period and Taylor Johnson nailed a 3-pointer to finish off the 10-0 run and extend the lead to 11 with 7:23 remaining in the half. Julia Razo heated up on the offensive end sinking a shot behind the arc before pulling up for a jumper in the paint with 5:48 on the clock to cut the lead to 28-24. The teams continued to trade points over the final six minutes with a free throw by Anudokem sending SSU into the break with a 40-34 lead.

Anudokem hit a jumper in the paint to open the second half and Kylie Kiech hit a transition 3-pointer to retake the double-digit lead in the first minute of the period. The quarter was a defensive slugfest between the two squads, but SSU was just a little bit better on the offensive end. After the Seawolves built a large lead of 18, Brittney Cedeno hit a buzzer beating jumper to send the Penguins into the final period trailing 56-41.

Razo once again provided a spark for Dominican's offense with a make from distance and Larocca followed up with a steal and layup to cut back within 11 with 7:35 left in the game. Kiech answered with a 3-pointer of her own to stop the momentum, but Mondave went on a personal 5-0 run to get the Penguins back within nine with four minutes left on the clock. Dominican was unable to get the stops and buckets it needed to get much closer as Sonoma State held on for the victory.

The Penguins return to the court Sunday to take on Chico State in their final game of the PacWest/CCAA Tipoff Challenge at Walter Gleason Gymnasium. Live stats and video will be available online.