The men’s basketball team made a comeback from a 20-point second half deficit and had chances to come within one possession of the lead, but was able to hold off SeattleU for the 78-72 victory Thursday night in GNAC action at the New PE Building.
(8-6, 1-4 GNAC) threatened to put the game away early in the second half, outscoring SeattleU 14-2 over a six-minute span to extend its advantage to 20 points at 46-26. The Redhawks did not give up, as Ryan Coldren () scored seven points as part of a 13-2 run to bring the lead back to single digits at 48-39.
After Michael Knight () hit a three-pointer with 7:13 remaining in the second half to bring SeattleU within six at 52-46, the two teams traded points for the next few minutes. SeattleU had a chance to come even closer after a Shaun Burl (Berkeley, Calif.) three-pointer and a turnover by the Wolves with just over a minute left, but the Redhawks committed its own turnover, and Western Oregon hit enough free throws in the final minute to earn the victory.
Neither team was able to make a basket in the first couple of minutes of the game, but Western Oregon warmed up, taking a 10-2 lead seven and a half minutes into the contest. picked up the pace and cut the lead to three with five minutes remaining, but the Wolves finished the first half by outscoring SeattleU 9-4 to take a 28-20 halftime lead.
Knight shot 7-of-11 from the field, including 5-of-8 from the three-point line, to lead SeattleU with 20 points. Coldren made 8-of-12 shots from the field as he scored 19 points plus pulled down a team-high six rebounds. Leigh Swanson (, ) earned ten points and five rebounds and Michael Wright () contributed eight points, six rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
Four players scored in double figures for the Wolves, led by Sam Kelly with 20 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field. Brad Krichevsky made three long distance shots as part of his 17-point night, while Mike McLaughlin shot 6-of-8 from the field in scoring 15 points. Liam Hughes used his height advantage to earn a double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds, 11 of those offensive boards.
Both teams shot under 35 percent in the first half and over 57 percent from the field in the second half. won the rebounding battle, 40-30, and also shot 18-of-26 from the free throw line, while SeattleU earned only six free throw attempts, making five of them. Each team committed 14 turnovers in the game.
(9-4, 2-2 GNAC) takes the short trip south Saturday, Jan. 19, to face Saint Martin’s University in Lacey, , in a game that begins at 7 p.m. The team returns home to face conference leader Alaska Anchorage next Thursday, Jan. 24, beginning at 7 p.m. at the .