ATHERTON, Calif.- Dominican men's basketball (7-3. 2-2) traveled down south Sunday afternoon for a conference battle with the Oaks of Menlo College. After a slow start in the first half, the Pengs were able to rally in the second and come out victorious 78 to 72.

Senior leader Nick Medeiros led the way for Dominican posting 31 points while going an efficient 16 for 18 from the charity stripe. The shifty guard out of Vallejo put pressure on the Oaks defense all day by driving it hard in the paint forcing them to send him to the line.

This game was back-and-forth early on with both teams trading baskets midway through the first. Fellow senior Stephen Ransom got the start for Dominican and didn't disappoint as he made it an emphasis to score down low early and often. Ransom showed off his post moves on consecutive offensive possessions when he converted on a nice reverse lay-up and then hit a smooth jumper.

Late in the first half the Oaks would respond by going on a quick 6-0 run led by a couple of points from Quentin Thompson. Menlo would take seven-point lead into halftime, but it was Dominican who would flip the script as they started the second half fast going on a run of their own. Ransom would get it started with a strong lay-up assisted by teammate Darius Best. Then it was Jorge Ochoa who found some space in the Oaks defense and drained a wide-open trey.

Ochoa, the senior out of Los Angeles, gave the Pengs a spark in the second half hitting three long balls and finishing second on the team with 15 points. The trio of Medeiros, Ochoa, and Ransom stepped up in the second half and paved the way for the Penguins seventh win of the year.

The Pengs will be back on the court for a showdown with PLNU Jan. 1^st at 3:30 pm.