SAN RAFAEL, Calif.—Dominican men's basketball overwhelmed the Vulcans of the University of Hawai'I at Hilo in the second half, running away with a 71-55 victory Saturday night at the Conlan Center.
 
Jaelen Ragsdale led all scorers with 16 points, six rebounds, four assists and a steal to lift the Penguins (5-18, 5-12 PacWest) over the Vulcans (9-11, 7-9 PacWest). Lazar Djurovic shot 50% from the field, collecting 12 points, six rebounds, and three assists while Thomas Faustka accounted for 12 points, seven rebounds and a steal. 
 
Elisha Duplechan went 7-for-10 on the night as the Vulcans' leading scorer with 15 points, six rebounds, two steals and an assist. Sasa Vuksanovic neared a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds, but it wasn't enough to keep up with the Penguins in the second half.
 
After five minutes of play, Vuksanovic and Djurovic went head-to-head and Vuksanovic sank a hook shot to give Hilo an 11-9 lead. Jordan Williams stole a pass from Duplechan on the following Vulcan possession and took it the other way for a lay-up in transition but fell short of finishing at the rim, and Duplechan earned redemption with a midrange jumper to extend Hilo's lead to 13-9. After the Vulcans and Penguins traded baskets, Romeo Mays blocked a shot at the rim from Kupaa Harrison, but Kaleb Gilmore helped UHH extend their lead back to 22-15 by knocking down a long three from the right wing with 8:13 remaining in the first half.
 
Sam Averbuck cut the Penguins' deficit to three with a floater from the baseline, and a steal from Mateen Hirbod and lay-up in transition from Ragsdale on the following drive put the Penguins within one of UHH at 21-22. But Duplechan would silence the crowd by knocking down a three to extend Hilo's lead back to four. 
 
With four minutes to go, Mays rejected another shot from Harrison, and the Penguins took advantage as Ragsdale put in a lay-up off glass to tie the game at 27. Mays came up big for the Penguins once again with 1:32 left, earning a lay-up in the paint and drawing a foul on the way up to the basket. Dominican and Hawai'I Hilo would head into the locker room at the half tied at 29. 
 
The Vulcans and Penguins traded buckets to open the second half, and Djurovic gave Dominican the 35-34 lead with a hook shot in the paint. The Vulcans fought to take back a 42-41 lead, and on a missed three pointer from Averbuck, Mays rose above the rim to grab the rebound and hammer it back in, giving Dominican the lead once more. The Penguins grew their lead to 50-46 with a corner three from Averbuck, and Faustka pushed the advantage to seven, backing his defender into the paint and muscling in a lay-up while drawing a foul, and completing the three-point play from the charity stripe with 8:59 left to go in the second half. 
 
Mays collected his third block of the game, rejecting Thompson of a lay-up in transition, and Vulcan Head Coach Ge Coleman was called for a technical foul, allowing Ragsdale to knock down two free throws, giving the Penguins a 55-46 lead with 7:10 left in regulation. Dominican extended their lead to as many as 24, as Ragsdale powered through the paint, rising above Vuksanovic for a lay-up off glass, forcing UHH to call a timeout with under five minutes left to go in the second half. From there, the Vulcans were unable to comeback as the Penguins ran away with the victory. 
 
Dominican will travel to Azusa Pacific University Saturday for a 4:30 p.m. PST tipoff. Live video and stats will be available online.