The Seattle University men’s basketball team could not stop Saint Martin’s in the first half, as the Saints shot 65.4 percent from the field in the first half to take a double digit lead and eventually defeated SeattleU, 88-77, Saturday night in GNAC action at the SMU Pavilion.
After a Ricky Berry (Phoenix, Ariz.) free throw tied the score at 22-22 halfway through the first half, Saint Martin’s scored the next 12 points, punctuated by a three-pointer by Jake Linton. The Saints then outscored SeattleU, 14-3, in a six-minute span at the end of the first half and beginning of the second half to open a 23-point advantage and cruise to the victory.
Chris Gweth () tied his career high with 20 points, shooting 7-of-14 from the field, including three baskets from behind the three-point line. earned 14 points and six rebounds, but shot only 5-of-17 from the field, and Leigh Swanson () scored 12 points on 6-of-8 field goal shooting.
Ryan Coldren (, ) finished with eight points and eight rebounds for SeattleU, and Michael Wright () pulled down a game-high nine rebounds. Shaun Burl () collected a career-high nine assists in the game. For the game, SeattleU shot 37.2 percent (29-of-78) from the field, including 7-of-28 from the three-point line, and 12-of-19 from the free throw line.
Linton shot 5-of-6 from the three-point line and 12-of-12 from the free throw line in scoring 27 points, plus he dished out seven assists. Bill Richardson shot 7-of-11 from the field in scoring 14 points, plus he pulled down six rebounds and blocked three shots, while Brendan Campbell finished with 11 points, eight rebounds, and two blocked shots. Off the bench, Michael McIver shot 6-of-7 from the field and contributed 12 points, five rebounds, and two blocked shots to the winning effort.
won the rebounding battle, 45-36, and committed only 13 turnovers, while ’s (9-6, 4-2 GNAC) turned the ball over 15 times. The Saints shot 53.8 percent from the field, including 50.0 percent from the three-point line, and 24-of-35 from the free throw line.
Seattle University (9-5, 2-3 GNAC) returns home to face the Alaska schools next weekend, beginning with Alaska Anchorage next Thursday, Jan. 24, starting at 7 p.m. at the Connolly Center.