The men’s basketball team used pressure defense to open a double-digit lead, and then depended on that defense to hold off a late Saint Martin’s rally for a 74-68 victory Thursday night in GNAC action at the .
outscored ’s 18-3 midway through the first half to open a 25-10 advantage with 8:52 remaining before halftime. Saint Martin’s scored seven straight points to come with eight at 27-19, but SeattleU scored six unanswered points and took a 38-25 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Back-to-back jumpers by Chris Gweth (, ) gave SeattleU a 64-47 lead with 9:13 left in the second half, but ’s did not give up. The Saints went on a 17-5 run to come within one possession at 71-68 with 1:11 remaining in regulation. After a SeattleU offensive foul, Saint Martin’s had several chances to score more points, but could not convert on three shots and two free throw attempts, and Michael Wright () went 3-for-4 from the free throw line in the last 30 seconds to ice the game for SeattleU.
Michael Knight () hit five three-pointers in the game and led all players with 17 points. Gweth finished with 13 points and two steals, while Wright earned his second double-double in as many games, scoring 11 points and pulling down 10 rebounds, plus he blocked two shots. Leigh Swanson (, ) also made a significant contribution off the bench with nine points, and Drew Harris () dished out a game-high four assists.
For ’s (10-11, 5-7 GNAC), Brendan Campbell also notched a double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds. Bill Richardson finished with 12 points, eight rebounds, and three blocked shots, while Jake Linton scored 12 points, but shot only 2-of-9 from the field. As a team, ’s shot 38.2 percent from the field, including 2-of-17 from the three-point line, and committed 17 turnovers.
The Redhawks shot 48.3 percent from the field, including 7-of-13 from behind the three-point line, and committed only 13 turnovers, seven of them during ’s rally late in the second half. The Saints won the rebounding battle, 42-33, and enjoyed a 24-11 advantage in made free throws, as ’s attempted 35 free throws while SeattleU had 17 attempts from the charity stripe.
(14-7, 7-5 GNAC) will look to extend its three-game winning streak Saturday, Feb. 16, against Western Oregon beginning at 7 p.m. at the Connolly Center. The Wolves, who defeated the Redhawks 78-72 earlier this season, earned an 83-66 victory at Montana State Billings Thursday night.