SAN FRANCISCO – The Sonoma State men's basketball team struggled in the second half in Saturday's season opener, falling to Dominican 70-56.  The Seawolves held a 31-27 first half advantage but were outscored 43-25 after the break. 
 
SSU started strong, leading 12-8 after six minutes of play with Michael Smith and Nick Klarman combining for all twelve points.  Smith knocked down a 3-pointer, a jumper and three free-throws for eight quick points.  The Seawolves held the lead until the 9:08 mark when Dominican took a 21-20 advantage.  Smith would put Sonoma back on top with back-to-back 3-pointers and the Seawolves led 28-25 with just under two minutes to play.  After Dominican pulled back within one, Smith closed the half with another triple to make it 31-27 at the break. 
 
Smith hit 7 of 8 shots from the field in the half while connecting on four 3-pointers to lead all players with 21. 
 
Kenny Olsem opened the second with a three and Klarman added a basket to give the Seawolves their largest lead at nine points.  The Penguins flipped the game from there, ripping off a 20-5 run to lead by six at the halfway points.  They would then use another run, this time 10-0 to put the game into double figures. 
 
The Seawolves shot 35% for the game despite hitting at a 44% chance in the first half.  SSU made just 7 of 27 shots in the second half and was 1 for 12 from long distance. 
 
Smith finished with a game high 21 points while Klarman added 11 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals. 
 
Sonoma State is back on the court tomorrow afternoon when they take on Academy of Art in the San Francisco State Tournament.  The game will be streamed for free at www.ccaanetwork.com.