SAN RAFAEL, CALIF.- Dominican men's basketball capped off a perfect opening weekend downing the Lumberjacks 89-71 Saturday night to improve to 2-0 on the season. The Penguins offense was led by senior Darius Best who dropped 30 points to go with four assists. Michael Wilson and Sargent Jeffery were right behind Best posting 15 points apiece.

The Lumberjacks jumped out of the gates strong starting with a quick 7-0 run. Senior point guard Nick Medeiros would put a halt to Cal Poly's momentum when he found some space in the defense and showed off his sweet jumper. Then it was fellow senior Darius Best starting off his night with a smooth looking driving layup. Best and his frontcourt running mate Medeiros constantly put pressure on the Lumberjacks defense by driving the ball hard into the paint which resulted in them getting sent to the line. Early in the first half the Pengs were leading the free throw battle 7 to 3.

Midway through the first half newcomer Michael Wilson started to heat up for Dominican when he received a nice dish from Medeiros and stepped into a wide open trey. A couple of possessions later Wilson showed off his mid-range when he got to his spot and dropped one in over the Lumberjacks defender. Cal Poly would counter with scoring on back-to-back possessions thanks to their big man Shakir Odunewu who collected a couple of buckets down low.

Best would help Dominican close out the first half strong when he swiped a nice steal from Rob Jenkins and then made the Lumberjacks pay when drilled a long ball. The duo of Best and Medeiros would pace the Pengs in the first half as they combined for 24 of the 35 points.

The Penguins would start the second half on a 7-2 run thanks in part to a flashy layup from Wilson who zigged in between defenders and threw the ball over his head. Best didn't miss a beat coming out of halftime as he collected a quick eight points and capped off the run with another trey assisted by Medeiros. Best and the Penguins stepped up the defensive intensity in the second as he finished with a game high four steals and the team swiping nine compared to three for the Lumberjacks.

Sargent Jeffery, the redshirt junior who had a dominant opener last night established his presence down low in the second half helping the Pengs jump out to a 20-point advantage.
Best and Jeffery were named to the West Region Tipoff Challenge all-tournament team for their performances over the weekend. Best posted 40 points while swiping seven steals while Jeffery collected 28 points and 10 boards.

The Penguins will be back in action Nov. 19^th at 6:30 pm when they welcome in Cal Maritime.