The Seattle University men’s basketball team nearly earned its second consecutive victory over a West Coast Conference school, but the University of Portland hit key shots late in the game and made enough free throws to hold on for a 71-67 victory Sunday afternoon at the Chiles Center.
Seattle University did receive career performances from Austen Powers (Glendale, Ariz.) and Chris Gweth (Beaverton, Ore.), the team’s leading scorers heading into the game. Powers shot 11-of-17 from the field, including 4-of-7 from behind the three-point line, to finish with 28 points, the most points scored by a Seattle University player in almost two years. Gweth hit 6-of-8 shots from the three-point line and 5-of-6 attempts from the free throw line to earn 23 points, plus he dished out four assists and earned two steals.
Down 42-33 with 12:29 left in the second half, Seattle University exploded offensively, going on a 14-1 run thanks in part to nine points from Gweth. Portland responded with a traditional three-point play by Robin Smeulders and a three-point shot from Ethan Niedermeyer to tie the game at 49-49.
After three more ties, Jared Stohl hit two free throws and then pulled down a key offensive rebound to set up T.J. Campbell, who hit a three-pointer to give the Pilots a five-point lead with 2:27 remaining in the second half. SeattleU kept the pressure on with a basket by Shaun Burl (Berkeley, Calif.) and three-pointers by Powers and Gweth, but Portland hit 10-of-14 shots from the charity stripe in the final minute to hold off the Redhawks.
Smeulders led the way from the Pilots, hitting 8-of-9 shots from the field and 7-of-8 shots from the free throw line to finish with 22 points, plus he pulled down a game-high seven rebounds. Niedermeyer hit four three-pointers and collected 14 points and four assists, while Stohl and Nik Raivio contributed 11 points each to the winning effort.
Portland hit 55 percent (22-of-40) of its field goal attempts and 73.1 percent (19-of-26) of its free throw chances, while SeattleU overcame a slow start to finish at 46 percent (23-of-50) from the field, including 55.6 percent (10-of-18) from behind the three-point line. The Pilots won the rebounding battle, 25-21, but committed 15 turnovers while SeattleU committed only 11 turnovers during the afternoon.
Portland (9-6) was up 20-14 in the first half before Powers hit a basket and Gweth nailed a three-pointer to bring SeattleU within one at 20-19 with 5:42 remaining. The Pilots finished the half by outscoring the Redhawks, 10-2, to take a 30-21 lead into the intermission.
Seattle University (8-6) returns home to make up the contest scheduled for Dec. 20 that was postponed due to snow when Linfield College visits the Connolly Center Tuesday, Jan. 13, for a 7 p.m. contest. Gary Hill, Jr., will broadcast the game from courtside exclusively on GoSeattleU.com.