by LANGLEY, B.C.- Dominican women’s basketball are flying back home a little happier as they defeated the Falcons of Seattle Pacific University 59-42 in the final game of the Canadian Tip-Off Classic Sunday afternoon. Alaiyah San Juan led all scorers in this one going for 15 points on 6 for 9 from the field while swiping two steals.
Defense wins championships, and games. The Penguins defense came to play against the Falcons as they held them to 22% from the field. Seattle Pacific’s leading scorer finished with eight points. Graduate students Taylor Linzie and Abby Cooper got things started for the Pengs offense in the first quarter as they scored back-to-back buckets to begin the game. Sophomore Alyssa Alvarado ended the quarter in style as she grabbed a pass from Jazmine Barnes and drained a three-pointer to give Dominican a three-point lead heading into the second.
Bench play was another reason why the Penguins were able to earn a 17-point win. Sophomore Adia Walker who looks like she will play the crucial sixth-man role this year led the second unit with 13 points while going a perfect 5 for 5 from the charity stripe. Newcomer Isobel Crosswhite, a junior transfer from College of Marin flashed her strengths early in the second as she had back-to-back sequences with a bucket. Walker, Crosswhite, and Alvarado led the second unit combining for 25 points.
Dominican took a seven-point lead into halftime and in the second half their defense didn’t let down. The Penguins held the falcons to nine points in the third quarter on 3 for 13 from the field. Cooper and senior Alex Salise had some big buckets in the third to pad the Penguins lead. A day after going for 29 points, Cooper posted seven points while grabbing eight rebounds. Salise finished the day second on the team in scoring collecting eight points.
