This past week, both the Seattle University men’s and women’s basketball teams faced off against Western Athletic Conference (WAC) rivals Utah Valley and Dixie State. The women played in Seattle while the men were on the road. With only one game remaining for each team, postseason play is right around the corner.
Wolverines Devour Redhawks
On Thursday, Feb 24, both Seattle U squads suffered losses against the Utah Valley Wolverines (UVU).
Men’s Basketball
For the men’s team, the 67-52 loss marked their second defeat in a row, coming on the heels of a tough loss to New Mexico State in the battle for first place in the WAC. The Redhawks’ offense continued to struggle at UVU, posting a season-low number of points and shooting percentage. Despite largely struggling to score in the first half, Seattle U was only down by four at the half.
Led by Sophomore guard Darrion Trammell, the Redhawks opened the second half on fire, coming back to take the lead. Yet, the lead was short-lived as the Wolverines answered with an impressive 12-2 run to claim a double-digit lead which stayed in place for most of the remainder of the game. Trammell scored 11 points to lead the Redhawks. Meanwhile, UVU’s Fardaws Aimaq showed why he is one of the top talents in the WAC and the reigning conference overall and defensive player of the year. He dominated, finishing the game with 19 points and 18 rebounds.
Women’s Basketball
The women’s game was closer than the men’s but the Wolverines ultimately prevailed with a score of 67-61. Once again, the Redhawks failed to perform in crunch-time, only scoring 10 points in the fourth quarter after scoring 22 in the third. Following their run to take a 56-55 lead, the Redhawks fell apart. They only made a couple shots down the stretch and gave up a late 8-2 run that allowed UVU to pull away for the victory. Redshirt senior Hailey Vice Neat had a big defensive performance. She recorded a career-high five blocks, tied for the most by a Redhawk this season and just one away from the team’s single-game record. Senior Courtney Murphy led Seattle U with 14 points. Josie Williams starred for the Wolverines, scoring 28 points and grabbing 16 rebounds.
Redhawks Bounce Back Against Dixie State: Women’s Basketball Big Win
Both squads bounced back by defeating the Dixie State Trailblazers on Saturday, Feb 26, snapping two-game losing streaks. The Seattle U women’s basketball team emerged with the 69-61 win on Senior Day, a huge win in their last-minute push to qualify for postseason play. The Redhawks began the game shooting the ball well. At the end of the first quarter, they were up by 15 points, a lead they were able to hold for the entire game.
The Redhawks made a season-high 11 three pointers with Murphy making three in the first quarter to account for nine of her 12 points scored. Bree Calhoun also played well, pacing the Redhawks with 19 points. However, they almost choked another game, allowing the Trailblazers to trim the deficit to three points with six minutes left. The Trailblazers’ comeback effort was led by Maggie Mccord who made eight three-pointers for a total of 26 points.
Men’s Basketball Salvages Road trip
Meanwhile, in the men’s game, Seattle U spoiled Dixie State’s Senior Day, claiming an important 73-65 road victory that moved them into second place in the WAC. The first half was a tightly contested defensive affair with both teams struggling on offense and trading scoring runs.
The Redhawks finally broke out of their scoring slump in the second half, scoring 45 points on close to 60% shooting. With about five minutes left, the Trailblazers were able to trim the Redhawks’ lead to just two points. Yet, Seattle U would not be denied as they responded by pushing their lead back up to 10 with a minute left. The Redhawks had multiple players contribute offensively led by Trammell’s 16 points. Fellow starters Riley Grigsby, Cameron Tyson, and Emeka Udenyi also finished the game with double-digit points. Cameron Gooden led the Trailblazers with 15 points.
There is only one regular season game remaining for Redhawk basketball teams. On Saturday, March 5, the men’s team will hold Senior Day festivities as they host Chicago State while the women play their final game at Chicago State. The men will need to win to ensure that they finish the season in second place and earn the coveted second automatic bye in the WAC tournament. Their female counterparts need to win and have at least one of the two teams above them (New Mexico State and Dixie State) lose in order to claim the 10th and final slot in the postseason tournament.
