The Seattle University men’s basketball team made seven of its first eight shots and, after withstanding a Northwest Nazarene run midway through the game, used a balanced offense and tough defense to defeat the Crusaders, 83-72, Thursday night in a crucial GNAC and regional contest.
SeattleU went on an 8-0 run early in the first half, punctuated by a three-point play by Ryan Coldren (Fall Creek, Ore.), to take a 16-8 lead. Later in the first half, Northwest Nazarene scored nine unanswered points to take a seven-point lead, the advantage the Crusaders took into the locker room at halftime.
Northwest Nazarene (14-5, 6-4 GNAC) extended its lead to 13 points at 55-42 five minutes into the second half, but Seattle University started another road comeback, going on a 10-1 run, the last four points on fastbreak layups by Mike Boxley (Mountlake Terrace, Wash.), to tie the game at 59-59. After trading baskets for the next three minutes, Ricky Berry (Phoenix, Ariz.) hit a jumper to give SeattleU the lead for good, and the Crusaders did not score a field goal in the final seven minutes of the game as SeattleU ended the night on a 16-4 run.
Five players scored in double figures for SeattleU, led by Coldren’s 16 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field and 5-of-5 shooting from the free throw line. Both Michael Wright (Lakewood, Wash.) and Chris Gweth (Beaverton, Ore.) were monsters on both ends of the floor, each scoring 14 points and combining for ten steals.
Boxley finished the night with 12 points and eight rebounds, while Leigh Swanson (Mountlake Terrace, Wash.) and Berry each gave the team solid production off the bench, with Swanson scoring eight points and Berry earning 11 points, all in the second half. Shaun Burl (Berkeley, Calif.) had four points and five assists as SeattleU shot 67.9 percent from the field in the second half to finish at 58.3 percent field goal shooting.
Kendall Gielow led Northwest Nazarene with 22 points, shooting 6-of-12 from the field and a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line. Justin Parnell hit three shots from long distance to contribute 17 points and seven rebounds, while Tyler Roberts was one of five Crusaders who finished with six points, plus he dished out eight assists. After shooting 65.4 percent from the field in the first half, the Crusaders were held to 30.4 percent field goal shooting in the second half.
Seattle University (12-7, 5-5 GNAC) will look for another victory against a regionally-ranked opponent Saturday, as the team heads across town to face Seattle Pacific at Royal Brougham Pavilion beginning at 7 p.m.