In their final exhibition contest the Seattle University women's basketball team was able to close out the preseason with a perfect 2-0 record. The Redhawks cruised past Saint Martin's University to earn a 70-44 victory Saturday afternoon. Leading the SU charge was center Tatiana Heck who scored a team-high 14 points in 21 minutes of work.
"I thought in the first half we did not execute well and were impatient," said head coach Joan Bonvicini. "In the second half we came out and were a lot more patient on offense and we really pressured more defensively."
After getting the tipoff, SeattleU worked to establish their rhythm behind four initial points from Heck. Saint Martin's came out of the gate and forced a fast pace start to the game, but the Redhawks responded and settled it down. While they were able to maintain a lead throughout the game, the Saint's managed to stay were able to consistently come within a few points throughout the first half.
Earning the starting nod for the second straight game was SeatteleU newcomer Kourtney Parks. As SU went on a 13-4 run to kick off the game, Parks knocked down a pivotal rebound deep in the Saint Martin's half. She found an open Carley Butcher on a breakaway to assist in giving Seattle their first double digit lead of the day.
Despite taking a double digit lead midway through the first half, the Saint's brought the score to within six heading into halftime. The game was truly a tale of two halves, as the Redhawks looked like an energized dominant team coming out of the locker room to start the second half. They came into the final half ignited offensively and more settled on defense.
Sophomore Maggie McCarthy gave Seattle their first 10 point lead in the second half with back-to-back baskets. The Redhawks 39-29 lead quickly evaporated though, as SMU capitalized on a pair of missed scoring opportunities. SeattleU was immediately responsive to the quick surge from the Saint's, as McCarthy knocked in a third straight basket. Sophomore Butcher found the ball below the net to score her second basket in the game and seconds later, Jamie Johnson found Butcher on a breakaway to take a 13 point lead.
After Butcher's second turnkey breakaway, SU went on a nine point run, behind five points from Samantha Messersmith. Guard Parks was key in the Redhawk scoring spurt, as she had a crucial steal to maintain the SeattleU offensive momentum. As the offense found their groove, the defense prevented Saint Martin's from scoring anything in over 10 minutes on the floor. After their mid-half scoring drought, the Saint's offense was unable to gain any type of momentum to close in on the Redhawks 58-32 lead.
The game was a total team effort, as the SeattleU supporting cast was able to come in off the bench and assist in SU's second decisive exhibition victory. With the close of the preseason, the Redhawks will look forward to their first regular season game on Friday, Nov. 13, versus UC Davis. The 7 p.m. contest will be played at the Connolly Center on the SeattleU campus.