"It was a lot of fun tonight," said Joan Bonvicini, who made her SeattleU coaching debut. "I really enjoy coaching this team. It is just so much fun to coach again."
Bonvicini's team saw contributions throughout the lineup, including a triumphant return to the court from senior Ashley Brown. The forward, who missed the 2008-09 season with an injury, found her rhythm on the floor immediately. The Kirkland, Wash. native went on to score 15 points in the contest, for second-best on the night. She had 14 points in the first half alone, and scored a team-leading four 3-pointers. In addition to being a force down low, she had eight rebounds and six steals in 25 minutes of action.
Like Brown, team-leading scorer McCarthy had a strong debut under her new head coach. The Burlingame, Calif. native also missed much of last year after being plagued with injuries. The Redhawk small forward consistently pushed her way through the Northwest defense and battled to keep SeattleU from giving up their lead. The SU sophomore nearly had a double-double, with nine rebounds, in a team-high 30 minutes of work.
"It was great to be out there playing basketball," said McCarthy. "We were really well prepared for today's game and we played as a team. Once we got past the early jitters, everyone got into a groove of things. All-in-all we out hustled the other team, and worked hard on both offense and defense."
The experience of veteran guard Cassidy Murillo helped the Redhawks manage the game. The senior was able to help orchestrate the SeattleU offense with creative plays to get the ball to the post players. In addition to tallying six assists on the evening, she ignited several pivotal momentum changing plays to prevent any type of Northwest comeback heroics.
Making her Redhawk debut was sophomore junior college transfer Kourtney Parks, who started alongside veteran Murillo. The SU guard was active all night, as she played 28 minutes for her new team. Not only did she work to move the ball around and create scoring opportunities, but she was consistently charging the boards and had four rebounds on the evening.
With their first game under their belt, the Redhawks will look forward to hosting their second exhibition contest of the season on Saturday, Nov. 7. SeattleU will host Saint Martin's in a 4 p.m. game in the Connolly Center. Following the women's game, the SU men will take the floor versus Pacific Lutheran at 7 p.m. Admission will be free.