Led by a career-high 18 points by Mike Boxley (, ), five players scored in double figures as reached the 20-win mark for the second time in three seasons with a 78-71 victory over SIU Edwardsville Saturday afternoon in the North Dakota Spring Thaw Tournament at the .
Boxley shot 6-of-11 from the field and 6-of-6 from the free throw line as he led all players in scoring, plus he collected four rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Chris Gweth (, ) scored 13 points and earned three steals, while Austen Powers (, ) and Aaron Broussard ( Way, ) each scored 12 points and Michael Wright () contributed 11 points to the victory.
The SeattleU point guards distributed the ball well, as Shaun Burl () finished with six points, five rebounds, six assists, and three steals, and Drew Harris (Yakima, Wash.) earned six points and five assists. As a team, shot 50 percent from the field (29-of-58) and 81 percent from the free throw line (17-of-21) and committed only nine turnovers.
scored the first nine points of the game in the opening two minutes, but the Cougars answered with a 15-3 run to take a 21-16 lead halfway through the first half. With the score tied 30-30 with less than three minutes remaining before halftime, Harris hit back-to-back layups and Gweth nailed a three-pointer to give SeattleU the lead for good.
SIU Edwardsville (10-19) came within six at 51-45 in the second half, but SeattleU, led by six points from Broussard, went on a 10-2 run over the next three minutes to take control of the game. The Cougars also shot 50 percent from the field (23-of-46) and won the rebounding battle, 32-25, but committed 17 turnovers that led to 21 SeattleU points.
“I’m so proud of this team! We reached 20 wins for the second time in three years, and I know we are looking forward to the tournament finals tomorrow,” head coach Joe Callero said.
Aaron Garriott came off the bench and hit three shots from behind the three-point line to lead SIU Edwardsville with 13 points. Aamir McCleary scored 12 points, Barry Wellington earned nine points, four rebounds, and two steals, and Denykco Bowles finished with nine points and six rebounds for the Cougars.
(20-8) will look for its best season percentage-wise in 45 years as it faces North Dakota, a 66-64 winner over South Dakota, in the championship game of the Spring Thaw Tournament Sunday evening at 7 p.m. local time (5 p.m. Pacific time). Gary Hill, Jr., will bring all of the action to SeattleU fans on KKNW 1150 AM.