The Seattle University women’s basketball team shot 50 percent from the field in the second half, but Saint Mary’s College was hotter in the field goal shooting department and also used its rebounding edge to earn an 84-71 victory Thursday night at McKeon Pavilion.
Baskets by Breanna Salley (East Bethel, Minn.) and Mercedes Alexander (Eugene, Ore.) allowed Seattle University to come within two at 35-33 early in the second half, but the Gaels scored 15 unanswered points to force the Redhawks to play catchup the rest of the way. SeattleU came as close as seven points down several times, but seemingly Saint Mary’s always had an answer to hold the visitors off.
Chelsie Morrison (Portland, Ore.) shot 8-of-14 from the field in leading Seattle University with 21 points. Julee Christianson (Missoula, Mont.) made a significant contribution off the bench, hitting 4-of-6 shots from the field on her way to an 11-point, three-steal performance. Unfortunately for the Redhawks, Salley, who scored eight points, only played seven minutes due to foul trouble, eventually fouling out of the game.
Saint Mary’s (2-9) jumped out to an 11-2 lead , but Seattle University responded with a 12-4 scoring run to tie the game at 14-14 with 12:29 remaining in the first half. The Gaels regained the lead by outscoring SeattleU 14-4 for a 31-21 advantage with 2:54 left before halftime. A traditional three-point play by Bianca Williams (Torrance, Calif.) and a three-pointer from Elle Kerfoot (Surrey, B.C.) allowed the Redhawks to eventually cut the deficit to five at halftime, 34-29.
Kerfoot, Alexander, and Williams each scored six points, with Kerfoot also dishing out five assists, Alexander leading the team with eight rebounds along with two steals, and Williams contributing four rebounds. For the game, Seattle University shot 43.2 percent from the field, including 8-of-20 from the three-point line.
Five players scored in double figures for the Gaels, led by Louella Tomlinson with 18 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, and seven blocked shots. Kira Kojola hit four three-pointers and also scored 18 points along with four steals, and Maija Lahde also earned a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, plus she notched four assists and three steals.
Alex Carbonel and Sierra Chambers scored 14 points each for Saint Mary’s, which shot 46.5 percent from the field in the game, including 19-of-33 (57.8%) in the second half. The Gaels also won the rebounding battle, 47-31, including 18 offensive rebounds. Both teams had problems holding onto possession, as SeattleU committed 28 turnovers and Saint Mary’s finished with 26 turnovers.
Seattle University (4-5) stays in California for an afternoon contest against Pacific Saturday, Dec. 20, beginning at 4 p.m. The team will then get a few days off for the Christmas holiday before returning to action Sunday, Dec. 28, against Cascade College beginning at 5 p.m. at the Connolly Center.