A week after riding its best offensive effort of the season to a 17-point victory, the Seattle University men’s basketball team relied on its defense, forcing SIU Edwardsville into 23 turnovers and limiting the Cougars to two second chance points in Saturday night’s 71-51 win at the Vadalabene Center, SeattleU’s fifth victory in a row.
SIU Edwardsville (7-15) held the lead early in the first half until Seattle University went on a 21-4 run over an eight-minute span, capped by back-to-back three-pointers by Michael Wright (Lakewood, Wash.), to take a 30-15 lead. Wright finished the first half with 13 points and nine rebounds, helping SeattleU post a 22-13 rebounding advantage over the home team in the first half.
A week after posting a career high in points, Wright notched another double-double against the Cougars, finishing with 18 points and 15 rebounds along with two steals. After struggling in the first half, Austen Powers () scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half and also pulled down nine rebounds. Drew Harris () made all six of his free throw attempts in collecting nine points, five assists, and two steals during the game.
Shaun Burl () also scored the majority of his points at the free throw line, going 6-of-7 on his way to an eight-point, three-rebound, and three-assist performance. Aaron Broussard ( Way, ) finished with seven points and seven assists as he helped deal with foul trouble during the game.
Shooting only 33.8 percent from the field, used its significant 48-27 rebounding edge as well as its tough defense to attempt 28 more field goals than SIU Edwardsville. SeattleU pulled down 25 offensive boards while holding the Cougars to six offensive rebounds. The visitors also had a solid night at the free throw line, hitting 80.8 percent (21-of-26) of their attempts from the charity stripe.
“We continue to improve defensively, and our rebounding in the first half set the tone for the game,” head coach Joe Callero said. “We overcame a long flight and foul trouble to pick up yet another road win. We are all looking forward to playing in front of our fans on this upcoming two-week homestand.”
Aamir McCleary and Aaron Garriott each scored 14 points to lead SIU Edwardsville, with Garriott also pulling down a team-high seven rebounds. Mark Yelovich finished with nine points, six rebounds, two blocked shots, and three steals, while Nikola Bundalo contributed seven points, six rebounds, and four blocked shots.
The Cougars came within ten at 36-26 five minutes into the second half, but SeattleU put the game away with a 16-4 scoring run in which it did not allow SIU Edwardsville to make a field goal. After hitting 14 three-pointers in last week’s game in , the Cougars were held to 15 total field goals on their home floor.
Seattle University (13-6) will begin a three-game homestand, the team’s final three home games of the 2008-09 season, next Saturday, Feb. 7, against North Dakota beginning at approximately 7:30 p.m. at the Connolly Center. Dick Fain will broadcast all of the action from courtside on KKNW 1150 AM, and live stats will also be available on GoSeattleU.com.