San Rafael, California -- Dominican women's basketball dropped its third consecutive conference matchup, this time falling to Point Loma 77-52 in the Conlan Center.
 
A strong Point Loma surge from the opening tip-off ultimately proved to be the difference maker as the Sea Lions pounced on the Penguins with a 15-3 run to start the midday matchup, a run that lasted almost the entirety of the first frame. Freshman Alex Salise put Dominican back on the board with 2:57 remaining in the first half when she converted a short-range jumper, the Penguins' first basket in over four minutes.
 
A Jazmine Barnes 3-pointer came a pair of possessions later after Point Loma put another basket on the board to set the score at 17-8. Graduate student Riley Friauf ended the opening stanza with a successful layup and free throw, but the Sea Lions extended their lead after also burying a free throw and a lay-in that brought the score to 22-11 after the opening frame.
 
Five consecutive Point Loma points set the early tone in the second half before senior Camryn Figueroa notched three consecutive Penguin tallies. Junior Maiya Flores drained a shot from deep following successful charity shots by Point Loma to set the score to 31-17 as the teams began to trade baskets.
 
Five consecutive Friauf points were matched by Point Loma as time was drawing to a close in the first half. Figueroa added three more points to her stat line with less than a minute remaining as the Penguins walked off the floor facing a 13-point, 40-27 deficit.
 
Early scoring streaks continued to be Dominican's demise as the Sea Lions jumped out to an 11-0 run to begin the third quarter. Friauf tallied the Penguins' first points of the half with 6:33 remaining in the quarter when she notched a pair of layups for Dominican to bring her team within 12, the slightest gap that Dominican saw throughout the remained of the game.
 
A Figueroa layup, Friauf free throws and a Salise 3-pointer gave Dominican a run of its own that brought the score to 55-38, preceding another Salise deep ball following a Sea Lions basket. Point Loma would ultimately find the scoreboard last in the quarter after Alix Henderson went 1-of-2 from the line as Point Loma brought a 58-41 advantage heading into the final frame.
 
Salise's third three of the afternoon allowed Dominican to halt any potential runs that Point Loma had planned early in the fourth as the foes swapped hoops to start the quarter. The three pointers were alive and well for Dominican as freshman Alaiyah San Juan got in on the action with a shot from beyond the arc that brought Dominican back within 15, contributing to the Penguins' seven total long balls of the game. 
 
A 10-0 Point Loma run ensued following the San Juan bucket, giving Point Loma its biggest lead of the matchup as the score read 77-51. San Juan would later bury the final bucket of the game from the free throw line, but Point Loma ended as the victor as it left the Conlan Center with a 77-52 victory.
 
Friauf ended the game with a team-high 16 points while also adding seven rebounds as Salise and San Juan also contributed double-digit points, notching 12 and 10 points, respectively. Senior Errayana Hatfield shared the team lead in assists with San Juan as they both tallied a trio of dishes while San Juan also etched five steals.
 
Dominican will now embark on its yearly trip to Hawaii as it prepares to take on its trio of island combatants, starting Thursday at 4:30 p.m. HST when it faces Hawaii Pacific.