San Diego, Calif. – Dominican University of California women's basketball secured an impressive conference win, topping Point Loma 68-59 on the road. The win also moves the Penguins into sole possession of the fourth spot in the PacWest Conference standings, currently sitting one win ahead of Biola though the Eagles have a pair of games in hand.
 
Junior Brittney Cedeno recorded her first of six steals just four seconds into the game, stealing the ball from the Sea Lions' Alix Anderson after the opening tip. Point Loma secured the game's first four points despite the early turnover, but senior Jordan Charlton broke the run with a layup after she was dished the ball by Cedeno. Cedeno then drilled a 3-pointer as it took her just two minutes to tally stats in three separate, noteable columns.
 
Five straight points by senior Camryn Figueroa helped give Dominican to a 10-0 run as it lead 10-4 halfway through the opening frame, with a free throw halting the run before Charlton and freshman Alaiyah San Juan both tallied Penguin baskets. A 6-0 Sea Lion run ensued, bringing the score to 14-11 with 2:23 remaining in the quarter.
 
With just 21 ticks remaining on the clock, Cedeno ran back the game's opening play, stealing the ball from Henderson to send the Penguins back to their offensive side of the floor. Cedeno held the ball with 10 seconds left as she commanded the floor, watching time wind down before pointing graduate student Riley Friauf into a position to set a pick. Once the pick was set, Cedeno dribbled into the yawning court and drilled an open jumper as the buzzer sounded, giving Dominican a 21-18 lead heading into the second stanza.
 
An errant Sea Lion pass came after Friauf locked down Point Loma's Haylee Saurette, causing her to miss a layup on the opening possession. The ensuing Sea Lions' possession then hastily concluded after another Cedeno steal sent the Penguins charging back on offense with sophomore Ysobelle Eustaqio eventually hitting a shot from beyond the arc to put Dominican up six. Point Loma would get as close as four after hitting a plethora of charity shots, but Cedeno again distanced Dominican with another 3-pointer.
 
Point Loma threatened to take the lead numerous times throughout the course of the second quarter, but Dominican never succumbed as it eventually found itself up four after Friauf free throws. San Juan later put an immaculate finishing touch on the quarter, draining back-to-back 3-pointers with the latter coming in buzzer-beating fashion to help Dominican to a 41-33 lead heading into the half.
 
San Juan started the second half scoring with a layup on Dominican's first possession, with Point Loma returning the favor on its next possession. The teams traded baskets over the ensuing minutes, but the teams acting as trade partners would be short-lived as the Penguins found their stride in the form of an 11-0 run that put them up by 18 with the score reading 57-39. The scoreless drought was momentarily interrupted as Saurette converted on a layup for the opposition, but another Dominican run ended the half, this time a 5-0 streak as Dominican ended the half on a 16-2 run while the score read 64-41 in favor of the visitors.
 
The lead was partially deflated in the final quarter as the Sea Lions finished the game on an 18-4 run that lasted the entirety of the finishing frame, but Dominican finished as the victor as it walked out with a 68-59 victory.
 
Cedeno finished with a complete stat line of 11 points, eight rebounds, six steals and five assists, while Friauf earned a double-double of 12 points and 14 rebounds. Both Figueroa and San Juan finished atop the score column, San Juan netting a team-high 20 with Figueroa adding 16. Another stat line to be aware of is that of senior Errayanna Hatfield as she registered seven minutes, made noteworthy by the detail of her absence throughout the majority of the New Year as she dealt with a lower body injury.