(SAN DIEGO) On a night in which
Zack Paulsen joined the 1,000 Point Club, Dominican made every effort to spoil that accomplishment with an upset victory over PLNU Men's Basketball.
But as Point Loma has done so often this season, it found a way in the face of adversity, overcoming a double-digit deficit with a 17-0 run in the second half to beat the Penguins 85-80 on Thursday night inside Golden Gym.
All five Sea Lions starters scored in double figures, led by a second-straight 20-plus point outing from
Coby Barnes (20 points).
Barnes' floater beat the first-half buzzer and tied the game going into the locker room, 43-43, only for the visitors to lead by as many as 10 in the second half.
Luke Smith then caught fire from 3-point range with a pair of triples to spark PLNU's comeback, during which Point Loma held Dominican scoreless for nearly six minutes.
Paulsen tied it with a nifty layup in the lane before Barnes' 3-point play and stepback triple put the Sea Lions firmly in front.
Pierce Davis' lay-in off a nice feed from
Tyce Paulsen extended PLNU's lead to five with 19 seconds to play, only for Dominican to answer right back with a 3 on the other end to make it a one-possession game.
However, Barnes came up clutch at the charity stripe down the stretch, ensuring that Point Loma came away with its third-straight victory.
Joining Barnes in double figures were
Tyce Paulsen (16 points, 5 assists),
Zack Paulsen (14 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists),
Wynton Brown (12 points) and
Luke Smith (11 points).
With the win, Point Loma (15-6 overall, 10-3 PacWest) moves back atop the PacWest standings after Azusa Pacific beat Academy of Art (13-6, 9-3) on Thursday.
PLNU hosts ART U on Saturday at 5 p.m. with sole possession of first place in the conference standings on the line.
POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE
