Dominican Hosts NCAA Division II Basketball Tournament, Women’s Team Makes Play for Championship

About 250 student-athletes, coaches, officials, and staff will spend three days on the Dominican University of California campus when Dominican hosts the 13th Pacific West Conference men’s and women’s basketball championships. 

Teams, including the Dominican women’s team, begin their championship run on March 6. Games will be held through March 8 in the Conlan Center. 

Dominican women’s basketball is one victory away from securing its second consecutive 20-win season, a feat never accomplished during the program’s NCAA Division II era. 

Women’s participants are Azusa Pacific, Biola, Dominican, Fresno Pacific, Point Loma, and Westmont. Men’s participants are Academy of Art, Biola, Chaminade, Concordia University Irvine, Fresno Pacific, Hawai'i Hilo, Point Loma, and Westmont. 

Alaiyah San Juan leads the Penguins scoring 13.3 points per game and becoming the fifth women’s basketball player to join the 1,000-point club. She is currently third all-time in the Penguins D2 era career scoring records and is also leading the team with 69 assists and 58 steals. Taylor Linzie joined Dominican from Cal State East Bay and has made an immediate impact, winning three PacWest defender of the week honors this season while tying a single-game Penguin record with 25 rebounds against Hawai’i Pacific. Linzie ranks No. 2 in the Pacific West Conference in rebounding average and is also No. 2 nationally with 327 total rebounds this season. Dominican enters its final week of the regular season at No. 3 in the PacWest.

The Pacific West Conference (also known as the PacWest) is affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Member institutions are in California and Hawaii.

Dominican last hosted the PacWest Basketball Championships in 2019, the same year the women’s basketball team capped a historic season by receiving the school’s first-ever bid to the NCAA Division II tournament.

Named in honor of Sister Samuel Conlan, Dominican’s fifth president, the recreation center turns 25 this year. The Conlan Center’s first athletic event was on February 18, 2000, an NAIA men’s and women’s basketball doubleheader between Dominican and Patten College.

The winner of the six-team, single elimination tournament will receive an automatic bid into the NCAA West Region Championships, March 14-17.

Game Schedule

Game 1: Thursday, March 6, 12:30 p.m. (women's first round): #3 seed vs #6 seed
Game 2: Thursday, March 6, 2:45 p.m. (women's first round): #4 seed vs #5 seed
Game 3: Thursday, March 6, 5 p.m. (men's first round): #3 seed vs #6 seed
Game 4: Thursday, March 6, 7:15 p.m. (men's first round): #4 seed vs #5 seed

Friday, March 7, 12:30 p.m. (women's semifinals): #2 seed vs game 1 winner
Friday, March 7, 2:45 p.m. (women's semifinals): #1 seed vs game 2 winner
Friday, March 7, 5 p.m. (men's semifinals): #2 seed vs game 3 winner
Friday, March 7, 7:15 p.m. (men's semifinals): #1 seed vs game 4 winner

Saturday, March 8, 2 p.m.: Women's championship game
Saturday, March 8, 4:30 p.m.: Men's championship game

Food trucks, shaved ice treats, and a craft beer garden will be available all three days. Raffles and prize drawings will be held throughout the day.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for youth, seniors, and military. An all-tournament pass is $35. Ticket information is here.