SAN RAFAEL, Calif.- Dominican men's basketball opened Thanksgiving week with a Monday night matchup against the Keelhaulers of Cal Maritime. This was the first of three games this week for Pengs. The first half was a back-and-forth affair, but Dominican was able to pull away in the second half leading to a 72-57 victory.

Senior leader Nathan Ilunga got the scoring started for Dominican as he received a nice pass from teammate Jaayden Bush down low and finished with a sweet layup. Ilunga gave the Keelhaulers fits all night, but especially in the first half as he led all scorers with eight points on an efficient 4 for 6 from the field. The Congo native also reeled in a highlight dunk midway through the first half off a nice dish from teammate Darius Best.

Jorge Ochoa, the USC Upstate transfer, continued to show Pengs fans why he was brought in as he also had a solid first half bringing in seven points and scoring on three straight series. Ochoa showed the Keelhaulers what's in his toolbox early on as he weaved through the defense for a nice layup then on the next possession stepped back to hit one from deep. He also grabbed a team high seven rebounds in the first half.

Cal Maritime offense picked it up late in the half as Jamal Frenchwood connected with a long three, but the Pengs were able to keep pace as they got some solid minutes from their second unit. Guards DM Sanders and Darius Best knocked down their shots when they got the chance with Sanders closing out the half with a three-pointer to give Dominican a 34 to 27 lead.

The Pengs opened the second half scoring six straight points led by a three-pointer from Bush. Bush who had a quiet first half, turned it around at halftime. Ochoa and Ilunga who led Dominican in the first did much of the same in the second with both doing most of their work from the mid-range and paint. Both finished the game with 16 points while Ilunga totaled 10 rebounds while Ochoa grabbed nine.

Sanders continued to show why he will continue to be an asset latter in the season as he went for 14 points on the night to go along with a pair of three-pointers. Bush was effective on both sides of the court as he tallied 10 points and was a menace on defense swiping six steals against the Keelhaulers.

Dominican will be back on the court this Wednesday Nov. 27^th at 6 pm as they welcome in CSU Monterey Bay.
 
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