Junior Mercedes Alexander (Eugene, Ore.) notched a double-double with a career-high 22 points along with 19 rebounds as the Seattle University women’s basketball team earned its sixth straight victory with a 67-49 victory over Academy of Art University at the College of San Mateo.
Academy of Art (5-18) jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the first minute of the game, but Seattle University answered with a 20-2 run over the next nine and a half minutes to take the lead for good. Back-to-back three-pointers by Caprice Hall and Sondra Stilwell capped a 10-0 run that allowed the Urban Knights to come within three (22-19), but SeattleU scored the final eight points of the first half and kept the home team at a comfortable distance the rest of the night.
Alexander hit 9-of-14 shots from the field and 4-of-5 from the free throw line in scoring her 22 points, plus she pulled down nine offensive rebounds and ten boards on the defensive side to finish just one off her total of 20 against Cascade College on Dec. 28. Breanna Salley (East Bethel, Minn.) hit 7-of-17 shots from the field and ended up with 16 points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocked shots.
Chelsie Morrison (Portland, Ore.) and Cassidy Murillo (Yakima, Wash.) each scored ten points and pulled down four rebounds in the game, while Elle Kerfoot (Surrey, B.C.) contributed six rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Tatiana Heck (Mountlake Terrace, Wash.) added four points and eight rebounds off the bench as Seattle University won the rebounding battle for the tenth straight game, 52-31.
Stilwell hit four three-pointers and finished with 19 points, three rebounds, four assists, and three steals for the Urban Knights. Hall nailed three shots from behind the three-point line on her way to 11 points and two steals, while Levalasi Key contributed nine points and six rebounds and Ali Tyson-Taufoou grabbed a team-high ten rebounds for Academy of Art University.
Seattle University shot 38.9 percent from the field, but held Academy of Art to 29.7 percent field goal shooting and forced the Urban Knights into 24 turnovers. Seattle University hit 8-of-14 attempts from the free throw line, while Academy of Art only made five trips to the free throw line as each team committed only 12 fouls during the night.
Seattle University has now won six straight games, including five straight games on the road, finishing a stretch of six road contests out of the last seven games 6-1. In winning nine of its last ten games, SeattleU has held its opponents to under 65 points in all of those wins, and the team is now only two wins away from clinching its fourth straight winning season.
Seattle University (13-7) begins a five-game homestand Saturday, Feb. 7, with a tough contest against North Dakota, previously one of the top Division II programs that is also making the transition to Division I. Game time is set for 5:30 p.m. at the Connolly Center, with Justin Kesterson broadcasting the game on GoSeattleU.com, where fans can also find live stats.