Four players scored in double figures as the Seattle University men’s basketball team overcame a ten-point halftime deficit to defeat University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras, 71-59, Saturday night.
Austen Powers (Glendale, Ariz.) led Seattle University, shooting 7-of-12 from the field and 4-of-4 from the free throw line to tally 19 points, plus he pulled down four rebounds and earned three steals. Michael Wright (Lakewood, Wash.) notched SeattleU’s first double-double of the season, scoring 10 points and grabbing 14 rebounds
Mike Boxley (Mountlake Terrace, Wash.) collected 10 points, six rebounds, two assists, and two blocked shots, and Drew Harris (Yakima, Wash.) also scored 10 points during the game. Senior point guard Shaun Burl (Berkeley, Calif.) hit all four of his free throw attempts on his way to an eight-point, three-assist performance, while Taylor Olson (Seattle, Wash.) hit two three-pointers and scored eight points for the second straight game.
Seattle University was down 39-29 at halftime, but outscored PR-Rio Piedras 42-20 in the second half to pick up the victory. After shooting just 30 percent from the field in the first half, SeattleU hit 48.4 percent of its field goal attempts in the seconds half, plus the Redhawks won the rebounding battle, 40-33, and forced 14 turnovers while committing only eight of their own.
SeattleU played this game without the services of senior Leigh Swanson (Mountlake Terrace, Wash.), who suffered a right knee injury during the Linfield game on Jan. 13. Swanson is expected to be out for 6-8 weeks, which in the best case scenario has him returning for either the game at the University of Washington on March 3 or the North Dakota Tournament on March 7-8.
Seattle University (10-6) will face University of Puerto Rico-Bayamon tomorrow, Jan. 18, beginning at 7 p.m. local time (3 p.m. Seattle time). To access the live stats that are scheduled to be available, fans should go to www.cybersportsusa.com, click on "Live Games," then "View the Game List," and then selecting the game between the SeattleU and PR-Bayamon men’s basketball teams.