The seventh-ranked Seattle University men’s basketball team took care of business in starting its defense of the GNAC title it won last season, getting out to an early lead and cruising to a 120-81 victory over Montana State Billings Saturday night at Alterowitz Gym.
Montana State Billings (0-12, 0-1 GNAC) took an early 9-8 lead, but Seattle University scored 14 of the next 16 points to open a 22-11 advantage. SeattleU pulled away for good in the last 6:30 of the first half, turning a nine-point lead into a 23-point halftime lead with a 19-5 run to end the half.
SeattleU continued the onslaught midway through the second half, outscoring the Yellowjackets 15-0 over a three and a half minute span to open a 42-point lead at 80-38. For the game, Seattle shot 58.6 percent from the field (41-of-70), including 8-of-17 from the three-point line, and won the rebounding battle, 55-32. Seattle University also took care of the ball, earning 19 assists while committing only eight turnovers.
With the team taking the early advantage, the bench players earned a chance to play significant minutes. Chris Gweth (Beaverton, Ore.) scored a career-high 20 points, shooting 6-of-7 from the field and 6-of-7 from the three-point line. Senior Michael Knight (Seattle, Wash.) continued his solid play, also scoring 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the field, including 3-of-4 from behind the three-point line.
In all, five players scored in double figures for SeattleU, as Ryan Coldren (Fall Creek, Ore.) scored 18 points, Ricky Berry (Phoenix, Ariz.) earned 13 points and seven rebounds, and Leigh Swanson (Mountlake Terrace, Wash.) contributed 11 points and eight rebounds. Taylor Olson (Seattle, Wash.) and Austen Powers (Glendale, Ariz.) each scored eight points, shooting a combined 12-of-12 from the free throw line, and Travis Welt (Spokane, Wash.) also scored eight points off the bench on 4-of-5 shooting from the field.
The Yellowjackets were led by Aaron Terry, who scored 22 points but shot just 6-of-17 from the field and 10-of-15 from the free throw line. As a team, Montana State Billings shot 35.7 percent from the field, including 12-of-38 from the three-point line, and committed only 11 turnovers.
The 120 points scored by Seattle was the third-highest total in the 62-year history of the program. The 39-point margin of victory is the highest ever against a GNAC opponent, and the highest since defeating Multnomah Bible College by 45 points in the fifth game of the 2003-04 campaign.
Seattle University (8-2, 1-0 GNAC) opens the home conference season with the highly-anticipated matchup against crosstown rival and nationally ranked Seattle Pacific next Thursday, Jan. 10, beginning at 7:30 p.m. at the Connolly Center. Fans are encouraged to arrive early, as a sellout is entirely possible for this important contest between two of the top teams in the GNAC.