Senior Michael Wright () nearly earned his third straight double-double, leading all players with 23 points and nine rebounds as the Seattle University men’s basketball team earned its sixth straight victory with an 83-60 decision over North Dakota Saturday night at the Connolly Center.
Wright shot 11-of-14 from the field in establishing a new personal career high for points, and six of his nine rebounds came on the offensive side of the court. He also dished out three assists and blocked two shots. Wright has been the team’s leading scorer during the current six-game winning streak, averaging 16.2 points per game.
(11-10) took an 11-8 lead five minutes into the game, but SeattleU went on a 29-5 scoring run over the next 12 minutes to pull out to a 37-16 advantage with 3:12 remaining in the first half. The home team made its first nine field goals in the second half, outscoring the Sioux 21-5 over the first seven plus minutes of the second half to post its biggest lead of the night at 31 points (60-29).
Freshman Aaron Broussard () continued to make a solid contribution off the bench for the Redhawks, scoring 14 points, ten of them in the first half, to go along with five rebounds and four steals. Mike Boxley (, ) finished with 11 points and three steals, while Austen Powers (, ) had nine points and seven rebounds and Shaun Burl () contributed eight points, six assists, and two steals to the winning effort.
Chris Gweth (, ) and Drew Harris () scored seven points each, with Gweth also pulling down four rebounds and Harris dishing out three assists. Taylor Olson (, ) scored two points in a consistent 13-minute stint off the bench, and Marques Hollins () made the first basket of his collegiate career to cap off the night.
"We are playing well as a team," head coach Joe Callero. "We are fortunate to play in front of a sold out Connolly Center tonight, it gives us a great home court advantage."
Darius Joseph led with 19 points and three assists, while O.J. Harrison had 13 points and Pat Mitchell contributed 11 points, three rebounds, and two assists off the bench. As a team, the Fighting Sioux shot 46 percent (23-of-50) from the field, including 36.4 percent (8-of-22) from the three-point line, and 54.5 percent (6-of-11) from the free throw line.
hit 17-of-30 shots from the field in each half, the third time in four games the team has hit over 50 percent of its field goal attempts. SeattleU also won the rebounding battle for the sixth straight game, 32-25, forced into 20 turnovers, and dished out 17 assists while committing only eight turnovers.
(14-6) looks to clinch its fourth straight winning season Tuesday night as it hosts in the second of a three-game homestand beginning at 7 p.m. at the . Live stats and a live audio broadcast with Gary Hill, Jr., will be available on GoSeattleU.com.