The men’s basketball seniors shined on Senior Night, as Austen Powers (, ) notched a double-double, Michael Wright (, ) once again led the team in scoring, and Shaun Burl () ran the offense and took care of the basketball in Saturday night’s 73-59 victory over South Dakota at the Connolly Center.
Wright shot 8-of-13 from the field and 3-of-4 from the free throw line in scoring his team-high 18 points, plus he grabbed eight rebounds, earned two steals, and blocked two shots. Powers hit 6-of-11 shots from the field, including both three-pointers he attempted, as he finished with 16 points, 14 rebounds, and two steals. Burl scored four points and dished out eight assists while committing only one turnover as SeattleU completed a perfect 10-0 season at home.
(18-7) jumped out to an 8-0 lead thanks to three-pointers by Dylan Grimsley and Louie Krogman. Chris Gweth () hit a three-pointer to stop the run and start a 9-0 SeattleU scoring streak that brought the Redhawks right back into the game. The two teams exchanged baskets for the next two minutes until the home team outscored the Coyotes, 16-2, to pull ahead by 12 with 8:20 remaining in the first half.
The Coyotes came within five (36-31) with three minutes left before halftime, but a 24-9 Redhawk run over a nine-and-a-half minute span to put SeattleU up 60-40 basically sealed the deal. , shooting 44.8 percent from the field, had 22 more field goal attempts than because it forced the Coyotes into 23 turnovers while committing only 10 of its own.
Leigh Swanson (), still recovering from a knee injury, was able to start the Senior Night game and played one minute. Mike Boxley () came off the bench and earned 14 points, three assists, and five steals. Gweth hit three baskets from behind the three-point line for nine points, and Drew Harris () contributed six points, five assists, and four steals.
Tyler Cain led with 13 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, and six blocked shots. Krogman and Grimsley each finished with 12 points as the Coyotes shot 51.1 percent from the field and stayed even with SeattleU on the boards with 32 rebounds each.
(16-6), now on an eight-game winning streak, will begin the season-ending seven-game road swing Monday, Feb. 16, against Cal State Bakersfield beginning at 7 p.m. Gary Hill, Jr., will broadcast the game live from the Rabobank Arena on KKNW 1150 AM.